The Irrefutable Truth
by Justin Valentine
Summary: It's- it's over... it's all over... (Thank you to EVERYONE who read this story, you guys were the ones who encouraged me throughout and without the positive feedback I probably never would have finished this.)
1. Threats

'The Irrefutable Truth'

Chapter 1: Threats

The alarm next to Adrian Weber was one that he had long planned to get rid of. Why he needed one he wasn't exactly sure, but he constantly forgot to throw it away. And when he did remember, it was always when it woke him up- a time where he would never ever be assed to get up on account of the 'Demonic Alarm from Hell', as Adrian had politely dubbed it.

His stringy blonde hair got in his eyes as he sat up to address the LCD numbers on his nightstand. It was the same number every morning, and the lack of there being four digits in sight always made the time harder to look at.

8:05

Not a mentally satisfying time to wake up at all. Wasn't much else he could do than get out of bed, however; he could never get himself back to sleep after waking. "Ah... goddammit."

He quickly fled to the bathroom and freshened up- after brushing his teeth and taking a shower, he always felt at least a tiny bit better. Sated with his cleanliness, he put on the usual clothes. Leather knee high boots, bright orange cargo pants, a fishnet top and over that a black tee shirt with text on it that read: _'Civil disobedience... is still disobedience.'_ He was ready.

Inside Damon Ashton's garage was the band he played guitar for. Every member was lined up, and each one clad in dark clothing. On Damon's left stood Mike the bassist, then John the drummer. Each one had their own unique look of distinct unpleasance, but the one common factor each had was that they were drawn towards the fourth band member that stood separate from them- out under the light of an unforgiving sun. Finally, one of them spoke.

"You gonna stand out there all day? Or do you plan on shitting out a couple more half-assed notes for us?" Adrian turned around slowly at Damon's question, and the face he gave his bandmate assured him that he wasn't the least bit amused.

"Just leave him alone," John ushered Damon towards the part of the garage farthest away from their singer, "he's been down in the gutter lately." Damon didn't seem ready to drop the issue.

"I'd like to know how that gives him reason to PMS on this fucking band." Adrian winced at the unoriginal comment and turned back to the outside, reaching in his pocket to pull out an small navy blue object. A cell phone.

"What?" Damon asked the ignorant man across the garage. "Calling your ex again? Still whipped? Need permission to get your fucking ass kicked?" John was barely restraining the much bigger and much stronger man in the group. He looked towards Mike to help, but Mike stayed silent and stayed back, signifying so with a mere shake of the head.

Adrian dialed the same seven numbers he always dialed on that phone for the past eight months. Every other conversation he had on it came from people who called him, except the one person he continually called himself. The phone always ring twice, and then someone would pick up. And that someone, ever since that fateful day, had never spoke a word.

And that time Adrian took to call her at that moment, it held no exception to that fact.

With a sigh, Adrian pocketed his phone and turned back to the others; that led him actually pay half-attention to the bickering before him.

"The guy has a right to be upset, he sorda bought a ring for the chick, remember?"

"What the fuck is your point, dude?"

"The point is she was obviously important him. He wouldn't fuckin' still be pining for her if she wasn't, right?"

"What does it have to do with him dragging this band down, Johnny? Really, I didn't build this band with my own heart and soul to let that piece of shit for a frontman destroy my dream." Adrian winced again, that time at the blatant lie he just told. Lie, false claim, Adrian didn't know which was the better classification at the time, but lie seemed like a simpler term to go with at that moment.

"And his brother," Damon woefully continued, "whoa, what a nutcase. Guy stumbles on over to this fucking house and knocks on my door, asking me if I seen his little sist- er, brother. And I always tell the bastard that he never comes here and I would never let the sack of shit into my house even if he did. He then proceeds to wheeze out a request for directions to his new place because Ade is such an insecure little fuck that he doesn't even give his drunken failure for a brother a clue as to where he's gone. Oh wait, I remember why that is- he can't confide in him because he isn't a real brother, little Adey is fucking adopted!"

That was the tip of the iceberg, although Adrian tried as best as he could to put a leash on his anger. He never was big on fighting. However, the look on his face said the story, and Damon took full advantage of that. "What? Did he beat you, too? Hit you? Made you cry?"

"One more step towards me and I'd prolly smell the shit coming from your mouth as well as hear it, Ashy boy." Oh, that one made Damon furious. More furious than he already was, if that was even possible.

"Come here! I'm gonna fucking kill you, you snivelling little shit!" John heaved in desperation to keep Damon back from his target, so much that Mike had no choice but to do the same. Adrian smiled at the emotions he spurred. He took extra pride, though, in the fact that he exerted little to no energy to do it.

"You don't look so good, Damon. Perhaps it's you who fits the snivelling little shit insult. You sure look the part." Damon fought and fought to get at him, but the two men that held him back were simply too much. Adrian laughed.

---

That led him to his home away from home, out in the sticks, where he would never be bothered- at least he hoped not to count on it. Alas, that night while watching baseball, he would be bothered- and bothered a great deal at that.

"Hello?" He asked softly. A woman's voice surfaced to respond. One that he hadn't heard for a long time, but one that he could never lose grasp of.

"Hi Adrian," was her warm reply. A long, exasperated sigh escaped Adrian's lips. He knew the voice on the other end of the phone all to well indeed. And as happy as he was to finally hear her voice, it left him bitter at the same time.

"Oh. Hey, Maria." He spoke with a sense of surprise, although the noted feeling of annoyance that also came out was so obviously put that one could almost take it as sarcasm.

Maria Constantine was a young woman of twenty years, although she was born eight months before nineteen year old Adrian who would have celebrated his birthday in nearly six weeks. The seventh of July. And it was the last thing Adrian cared about at that moment.

"What's wrong?" Maria asked weakly. "I can't talk to you anymore?"

Adrian laughed and replied in an agitated groan. "I dunno, can you? Afterall.. you haven't since you broke up with me, remember?"

"I know, I-"

"And you ditched me for my _brother_ of all people."

Adrian sounded sour, there was no getting around that, but the least Maria could do was try. She didn't try too hard, but she tried none the less. "I know, I know, I'm sorry."

"You're sorry? Is that all you can say now? Now, on the other side of a goddamn phone, that's all you can fuckin-"

Adrian bit his bottom lip and shook his head. There wasn't much of a point in being angry anymore. "Of course you are..."

There was an uneasy pause on the other side of the phone. A long one. Maria exhaled loudly and tried to stay on the bright side. "How's the music?"

Adrian nodded. "It's... coming along, I guess."

"Heard you had a concert a couple nights ago." Maria sounded as if she was secretly pleading for Adrian to let the subject be changed- start on a clean slate so to speak. Adrian didn't want to buy it, but he decided to play along with it. For a little while, anyway.

He had walked back over to the couch and sat down once more. He kicked his feet up onto the glass coffee table in front of him and rubbed his forehead. He was obviously looking to get out of the conversation. "Yeah... yeah."

"Good. But anyway.. I called about your brother." That was the straw that broke the camel's back.

He sat right back up and growled into the phone. If his hand could have gone through the receiver and come out on her end of the phone and slapped her, it would have happened. "Haha, great! That's great. Thank you, you don't talk to me for eight months, eight long fucking months, and when you do you go right to talking about your boyfriend. Thank you so much for-"

"Adrian.. he's been missing for days. And I'm hoping.. praying that he was over there."

Adrian sighed. He felt like a real dipshit, to put it bluntly. "Not for months."

_'Not since the dumb fuck moved out and hopped in the saddle with you.'_

He furrowed his brow. "Maybe he pulled one of his spur of the moment adventures off into the country?"

"He'd have brought me along." Maria noted it with such clarity that it almost made Adrian laugh, even though the situation was far from a laughing matter.

He tried to think, but could come up with no other quick explanation. "That is a bit strange of him, though. Or for anyone, I'd assume."

"Yeah. That, and someone has been sending us threats through the mail lately."

_'Well then I guess that would make sense...' _

Adrian tried hard not to lash out on her. His patience had dwindled greatly ever since the end of their relationship, and it got even worse with the lack of contact they kept. Adrian was so annoyed that he couldn't think of anything to say, but one thing which he stammered out in response. "...Threats?"

"Yeah," Maria said sadly. Adrian leaned back into the couch and shrugged his shoulders.

"Any particular reason?" And then, he felt himself jump as something brushed his leg. "Shit!" He looked down to see what it was, he saw his dog Howler staring innocently back up at him.

"What is it?" Maria asked as Adrian chuckled and leaned forward to pet him.

"Nothin'... sheesh, just the dog."

Maria replied with a sense of surprise in her voice. "You still have him?"

"Of course," he said. He had cared for that dog ever since Maria had given it to him last Christmas. "You think I'd abandon him?"

"No, I just.. I don't know. Just been too long I guess."

"I see."

They both paused. Adrian cracked his knuckles and waited quietly for Maria to say something, which she eventually did. "Anyway, the threats... they've been sent here for about a two weeks now. Maybe more."

Adrian nodded and scratched his blonde haired head. "What do they say exactly?"

"The same thing. That a man named Sam wants to meet him somewhere, I forget what town, I don't have the letters with me."

"Don't you still have them?"

"I threw them out. I didn't want to worry myself anymore than I already had."

Adrian grumbled. That decision definitely would not help matters a single bit. "Does Cain know this?" He spat out the question meekly- if he didn't know about it before, he probably did then if he was indeed missing.

"Of course. He's the one who tried to get me to throw them out in the first place."

"Sam..." Adrian mumbled to himself. "Why does that name sound so familiar?"

"Doesn't ring a bell to me."

"Did Cain ever mention knowing someone by that name?"

"Never." Adrian stood back up and began to pace around the room. He was definitely starting to grow frustrated. "Damn.. did you make a report on the return address?"

"I would have if there was one."

Adrian sighed and threw his free hand in the air, fresh out of ideas. "Well I don't know, I never made any threats to anyone through mail before."

"Yeah. This whole thing just has me weirded out."

"...You know you're messing up my life by bothering me with this. Everything is all simple for me right now. I don't need anything more complicated in my life. I've had enough of that already.." He trailed off for a moment to think about what to say next before he continued. "I'd try to shy away from that, too, but you'd see it as a lie from a mile away."

"Never were a good liar."

"I guess not.."

"..You don't have to do help if you don't want to. I know your uncle died and everything, but I called anyway. That was dumb of me."

"It was. But as much as I hate the bastard.. it's my brother. My uncle was murdered, and my cousin went missing. If I lose another family member, I'm going to have to live in Antartica the rest of my natural born life."

Maria giggled softly. "Yeah." It was then that she heard exactly what she was hoping to hear from her ex boyfriend.

"I'll be over there tomorrow maybe. It's late enough as it is right now."

Maria sighed a sigh of relief. Half relief and half happiness. "You're right..."

"You get some sleep, okay?"

"I'll try."

"You won't have to try."

"Adrian..."

"Yeah?"

"Are you sure you want to help? Cain told me you were in the hospital a couple weeks ago."

Adrian paused. He almost forgot about the trip to the hospital he made, even though he still had the scar over his belly to prove it. "Yeah.."

"What happened?"

"..Nothing," he said defensively. "Maybe I'll tell you when I come over tomorrow. Okay?"

"That's fair enough."

"Bye, Maria."

"Bye."

He hung up the phone and smoothed his hair back. And to think that all he wanted was some peace and quiet.


	2. Resurfaced

Chapter Two: Resurfaced

Adrian pulled a cinnamon bun out of the microwave and dug into it with a fork. He took his food and a cup of chocolate milk and sat down at a small table in the kitchen and began to eat silently, the look on his face, still one of burden.

_'Who would want my brother for? And who the hell is Sam? I know I've heard that name before..'_

Two loud bangings on the front door later, Adrian's thoughts were halted. He slowly rose from his seat and eyed the door suspiciously, eyes narrowed.

"..Cain?" He paused and gave it a thought before he nodded his head. "Has to be... who else would knock on my door at midnight?"

He slowly headed for the door, but he had to cross through the dark living room, which was only illuminated by the television that was still playing a replay of the baseball game he was watching. He headed through and over to the door and grabbed the doorknob. He slowly turned it counter-clockwise and got on his tip toes to peek out to the other side of the door via the small pane of glass near the top of the door. All he could see was darkness.

Cautiously turning the doorknob, he swung the door open and peered outside. Nobody. No sign of anybody anywhere in sight.

_'I'm hearing things.... no. Someone was knocking. I'm sure of it.'_

He looked around, when something snapped his attention to his side. His mailbox slammed shut. Sighing, he opened it up and peeked in. He slowly stuck his hand inside and pulled out not a letter, but a rosary. A rosary Adrian noted to be the one he gave to Cain last year for his birthday. A rosary that had a warm red liquid dripping from it.

Slowly shaking his head, he backed himself into the house, holding the rosary out in front of him. He coughed and covered his mouth, before he dropped it in the doorway and ran back into the kitchen over to the sink, presumably to cough up the midnight snack he was eating.

Adrian laid in bed about ten minutes later on the late Sunday night, or early Monday evening, however you look at it. He laid back thinking. The bloody rosary from his mailbox hung harmlessly from the doorknob to his room, swaying back and forth without tempo- but his attention wasn't on that. Rather, it was on seeing Maria again. It was a long time indeed that they hadn't seen eachother, and although he wasn't eager on kissing her ass like he did throughout their quick relationship, something about her voice kept her a shady person.

Things had their ways of changing, indeed, but someone doesn't become an overcautious woman after being a fearless bitch in a span of four months. Granted, he had a feeling of change after he went from aspiring rock star to brooding in a cabin up in Massachusetts. It wasn't the actions of a sane person, but the more he thought about it, Adrian wasn't very sane. Afterall, when you lose most of your family, your perfect world can tumble in a heartbeat.

He could hardly remember what he had for breakfast, was unable to point the unfamiliar faces of fans that claimed to have chatted with the man in person backstage, and so much as disregarded the scar on his stomach as a figment of his imagination. And when you cannot produce short term memory, boom. It's not just the big things, but the little things that you can't just put your finger on that make you start to lose your marbles. A song from you and your wife's first date from which you can't remember the lyrics. The favorite restaurant you had when you were a child. The teacher you had a crush on in fourth grade. And even though he didn't have it long, it was still there nevertheless. What was worse, whenever he tried to think of where he got it from, things would get cloudy.

He would practically black out at the mere attempt of remembering something with little value. But something told him the scar he carried was much more than a deep cut most get after having surgery and just forget about months after. The crescent shaped scar on his stomach meant something, and it meant more than what was being let on. And something in the back of his mind hinted, ever so subtly at it.

_'Watch out for Sam Nordiana.'_

He was unable to pin down what it meant, and that was more than enough for him to go crazy right at that moment. It was a shame that his uncle's murder didn't get more of a reaction from him. He could bring himself to shed a tear on the situation, given the time needed to dwell on it. But not being able to remember the little things is something that can make your mind spin if you try hard enough to remember. Trying so hard can give someone some bad headaches, have people broken to whimpering children, or simply have people spitting out cuss words over and over again until they begin to get that feeling where they wonder where those curses were made up from.

For Adrian it isn't only a mix of all of those symptoms, but he could also feel a sense of disorder. He could remember his psychiatrist sessions from a couple years ago, although why he had those sessions he could not remember, other than the fact that they were before the Maria days. Before him and his band One Hundred Drops Of Kerosene's days. All he could remember other than that was the explanation he gave his doctor, but only because he'd wrote it down on a piece of paper and memorized it.

_'It's almost like I don't want to remember some things. Some things I force to the back of my mind so I make sure I can't think of them anymore. But sometimes I lose control of my thoughts and things get mixed up. I can tell you when me and my girlfriend started going out. I can tell you how I got started in singing. But I can't remember the lyrics of half the songs I sing, nor can I remember when or why me and my girlfriend broke up. I can't tell you things I don't want to remember or feel the need to remember. But sometimes they resurface, all I need is an image that I remotely recall, and bingo. Things get jumbled up. It's tough knowing that I can remember my first crush in the eighth grade, forget it without a trace, and then remember it a day after. I feel like someone up there is toying with me.'_

It was silly and he knew it. Adrian never prided himself as a Bible fanatic. His parents believed in letting Adrian decide for himself what to believe. And there came the ways of the atheist. Where the times of SSDD came and never left. And when those days came, he only believed in one thing, and that was himself. That was one thing he never forgot.

_'I need to stop thinking about this or I'll eat myself away.'_

He drifted off to sleep without another thought on the night.

That would however, be before something would drive him to wake up an hour later. A vision of something horrible. So horrible that he threw himself up into a sitting position in his bed as he saw his own face staring back at him, with a bullet hole right between the eyes. It was so cryptic and so foreshadowing, that tacked on to what had been going down earlier; The phone call, the scar, the puking in the kitchen, and of course the rosary, seeing something like that could have scared him right out the front door of his home. But no, it wasn't that at all. Rather, it was the figure that sat over the edge of the bed next to him that did it.

He had caught his breath and leaned back to let the back of his head greet the soft pillows underneath him, shrugging off the nightmarish image to be nothing more than 'taking things too far out of proportion'. But then the figure, shrouded in complete darkness save for the street light down the road that shined through Adrian's window blinds to create a eerie dark red filter around half of the room, no less, had popped up seemingly out of thin air. And the moment Adrian turned his head to regard it, it screamed. A scream so inhuman that it had to have dropped Adrian's blood temperature a few points. But of course, the first thing Adrian could say was nothing more than...

"FUCK ME FREDDY!"

He immediately jumped out of his bed, boxers and all, and ran out of his bedroom. The sound of the rattling collar from his dog which he had just awoken was heard in the guest room just next to him, but was no match for Adrian's mouth that stuttered swears a mile a minute as he bolted downstairs and opened the front door and threw it open. He then stood outside a good two minutes, freezing his ass off in his mere white tee shirt and matching white cotton boxers until he dumbfoundedly mumbled, "shit.." and turned back to the halfway open front door of his cabin. He peered upstairs and waited there. In nothing but darkness. Alone.

He would have ran until his feet bled if he knew Howler would be right behind him, but the sound of his collar did not return to Adrian's ears. It was that, that caused him to run into the kitchen, turn on the light, and grab a butcher knife from his cutlery set before heading back into the living room where he turned on the lamp in there as well.

He peered upstairs and stood there a long time before he had finally made his way up the stairs, flicking on the second floor hallway light switch that he passed halfway up the stairs on his left, and then looked into his bedroom. His still dark bedroom.

Shaking his head, he raised his knife, poised to strike as he ran into the room and stared as the figure that he saw before was still there, in the same position as it was when he ran out of the room like a bitch in heat. It was almost like staring at a wasp resting completely still on your bedroom window pane and staring at it for the longest time, without neither of you moving an inch. Except the bug in question at that moment was a hell of a lot bigger.

"Stand up," Adrian mumbled shakily. His voice had the impact of a fly smacked dead by a windshield. That of course meant the figure wasn't moving anywhere, although it probably wouldn't have moved no matter who was doing the threatening. "Stand up now or I'm stabbing the shit out of you..." he said, a bit more firmness in his voice, although one could tell that he didn't mean a word of what he was saying. But that was set to change as the figure still refused to move, or even mutter a single sound. He raised the knife slowly and moved forward, when something stopped him.

_'At least turn on the lights, Adrian,'_ he thought to himself, _'just turn on the lights...'_

He did just that. He turned his head, flicked the lights on, and turned back. The figure was gone. Adrian stood there with a lump in his throat and a knife still in his hand, that was, until he dropped it to the wood floor in jawdropping awe. He fell to his knees before he glanced down at the knife next to him and immediately slid it across the floor and to the other side of the room. "What the fuck is wrong with me?"

Adrian shook his head while it was stil buried in his hands. That was right before his dog had trotted its way into the room by Adrian's side. Adrian looked up at his pet and smiled weakly, reaching over to pet him and scratch behind his ears. "You don't think I'm crazy. Do you?"


	3. Driven

Chapter 3: Driven

Adrian had woken up the next morning, though not because he wanted to. After the frights he had taken last night, he was defeated before the adventure even began. His eyes drooped behind his messy blonde bangs that he couldn't bear to comb; he simply brushed his teeth and pressed his hand on his head to make sure his hair was matted down, before giving himself a thumbs up in the bathroom mirror.

The drive to Maria's house wasn't much of a fun one. He always hated travelling nearly an hour out of his way to get to Maria's house in Westford. Always beat getting bothered by Jehovah's witnesses everyday in his old neighborhood.

He parked his sleek red sports car out of the pale green house he knew all too well and stepped out, lazily slamming the driver door behind him. As he made his way up the front steps he was surprised to find Maria open the door for him on the other side, greeting him with a warm smile and a kind hearted "Hello." Her smile quickly changed to concern though as she looked at the tiresome expression on Adrian's face before giving him a hug and whispering to him worriedly, "You don't seem to have gotten much sleep. I didn't get you too worried last night, did-"

"Do you ever worry me?" Adrian eased Maria off of him as he slowly invited himself inside the open front door, Maria walking behind him meekly.

"Well, if I have I haven't noticed until now.." Adrian let out a yawn and stretched his arms high into the air. "Please," Maria offered, gesturing to the couch next to him, "sit down."

Adrian did just that, making himself further comfortable by kicking his feet up onto the coffee table in front of him. His rather bulky platform boots _clacked _noisily on the wood underneath them. Maria giggled nervously and pushed her hair from her eyes, her hair just the way Adrian remembered it. Straight and reaching past her shoulders, with natural red color to it. Looked a lot more presentable than Adrian and his crazy blonde hair, that was for sure.

"You want some coffee?" Maria asked, backing away towards the kitchen. Her ex looked like he needed some caffeine.

Adrian shook his head and let out another yawn. "Nah, I'm fine." Maria nodded and disappeared into the kitchen anyway, returning into view a moment later with a coffee mug in her hand which she took a sip from before setting it down on the nightstand at her side and sitting down in a black leather chair and looked over at Adrian who fidgeted in his seat on the couch. He would also flinch when he heard the distinct sound of a baby crying.

He glanced at Maria and narrowed his eyes. "What was that?"

Maria scratched her head nervously, and shrugged. "Baby from next door."

Adrian nodded slowly. "Okay."

"Are you alright?" He compulsively scratched at his head at the question, matting down his hair more in doing so.

"Yeah I'm okay, I just want to go and get this over with."

"Oh.." She sighed and looked around for a moment. And then, with a nod of her head, she stood up and headed back into the kitchen, returning this time with an envelope in her hand and walking over to hand it to Adrian. "Found this after I got off the phone with you."

Adrian's hand reached out to take the envelope and he looked it over with little care. He turned it over and shook it for a moment, allowing a small card to slide out and fall into his lap. He then tossed the envelope aside and picked up the card. Noticing he turned it on it's blank side, he turned it around and looked at the few words that were written neatly in cursive handwriting with blue pen, although the harmless feel to the words on the card ended there.

_Cain,_

_Your future lies here, in the hands of us in Silent Hill. We await to welcome you to paradise._

_-Sam_

Adrian tilted his head at the card before slowly reaching his hand back out to Maria for her to take the letter. She took it and put it back in it's envelope before she stuffed it out of sight into her pocket. "What do you think?" She asked the question softly, scared of how Adrian would react. He didn't look very happy, that she was sure of. It was just a matter of why that was.

All Adrian mumbled however, were the words "Silent Hill..." before he picked his feet up off their resting place and onto the floor before he hunched over and narrowed his eyes in deep thought.

"You e-" Maria started to speak, but Adrian quickly silenced her by holding his left hand up to her, stopping her in mid sentence. He softly tapped his feet on the floor, as if the _clankityclankclank_ of his boots helped his chain of thought.

_'Who are you, Sam?'_

_clankityclankclankclankclankclankityclank..._

'What is so important about Silent Hill? C'mon, I know I should know.. Just gimme something to jog my memory..'

_..clankclankclankityclankclankclank..._

_'Tying yourself to me  
__Stitch up my emptiness 'cause you're the death of me  
__So precious, loving the thrill'_

"What was that?" Maria referred to Adrian slight whisper of the lyric that he had just subconsciously recited. Adrian looked at her in question for a moment before he registered the same amount of confusion in Maria's eyes, and quickly stood up, shaking his head quickly.

"It's nothing," he replied softly and headed quickly for the front door, "I think I should just go."

Maria walked after him slightly. She didn't necessarily want him to leave so early, but she didn't have the courage to say so. All she could find the strength to say was-

"Wait.."

Fortunately for her, it was just barely loud enough to get Adrian to turn around and look back questioningly at Maria who frowned before she slowly moved forward and hugged Adrian again. "Please be careful, okay?"

Adrian gently returned the hug and pulled something out of his pocket and held it in front of Maria when he pulled away from her. "I gave this to Cain around his last birthday." Giving her a half smile, he put the rosary over her head and around her neck. "I think he'd feel better if you held onto it for him." Smiling, Maria patted Adrian on the head and looked into his eyes. A certain sparkle shone from her eyes, a kind that Adrian hadn't seen from her in quite some time.

"You can be a nice boy sometimes," she said.

Adrian shrugged and cracked another half smile. "I have my moments."

And with that he turned back around and was out the door before Maria could mutter so much as a goodbye, or ask why Adrian was in the hospital. She didn't want to bother Adrian anymore, anyway; she felt as if she had done enough.

_'I'm born  
__I'm alive  
__I breathe  
__In a moment or two I realize  
__That the sphere upon which I reside  
__Is asleep on its feet  
__Should I go back to sleep?'_

'Vitamin' by Incubus had blasted out of the speakers of Adrian's very souped up sound system as he made his way down endless winding roads, and thus closing the gap between him and his objective.

_'We orbit the sun  
__I grow up  
__My open eyes see  
__A zombified, somnambulist society  
__Leaving us as vitamins  
__For the hibernating human animal  
__Do you see what I mean?'_

Slowly, as the song continued on, things began to change. So slow that Adrian could barely notice until he could eventually see nothing in front of him. Nothing but fog and maybe a car length of the road in front of him if he was lucky.

"What in the..."

_'You stare at me like I'm a vitamin  
__On the surface you hate, but you know you need me  
__I'll come dressed as any pill you deem fit  
__Whatever helps you swallow the truth  
__All the more easily...'_

He stared out into the thickness of the fog that had taken over the road. He looked around and slowly moved his car to the right to hopefully pull it onto the shoulder of the road, that was until a jarring honking of a horn behind him got him to swerve back out onto the road.

"Shit on me!" He yelled as he could see something out of the corner of his eye passing by him on the shoulder. A motorcycle. A police motorcycle to boot. And on it was a figure that he couldn't see very well, although he could note the standard police outfit and tinted helmet on. And then, he could notice the officer's left hand leave the handle it was holding onto and motion to him to pull over.

"Aww Jesus, not this early in the mornin', man."

He slowed the car down and the motor cycle pulled ahead and slowed to a stop before the officer climbed off and off came the helmet. Matted down blonde hair covered the officer's eyes as she tucked the helmet under her right arm and approached Adrian as he stepped out of his car and approached the woman.

"Wanna turn off the radio?" The woman referred to the blaring music inside Adrian's car, with a stern look on her face.

He quickly turned and snapped the volume knob before giving off a sheepish grin and mumbling a "sorry" under his breath.

"So what are you doing heading out here? You know this road isn't for use?"

Adrian shrugged and looked around before shaking his head slightly. "No idea.. Tough to see any signs with this fog anyways."

The officer nodded in reply. "Yeah..."

"So what's your name, officer?" Adrian asked, causing the woman to raise her badge to him.

"Cybil Bennett, I'm a police officer from Brahms, the next town over." She held her helmet with her left hand as her right one reached out to shake Adrian's hand, which it did in a warm greeting. "And you would be..."

Adrian laughed softly. He needed some reason to get his mind off thinking angry thoughts. "You dunno who I am?"

"Can't say that I do.. Are you a celebrity or something?"

"Heh." Adrian scratched his head. "Well, sorda. Not yet really. Adrian's the name."

"Nice to meet you, Adrian."

"Same to you."

Cybil let go of her grip on Adrian's hand and turned to point down the road. "Well if you're wondering why I pulled you over, don't worry you haven't done anything wrong. Nothing I know of anyway. But I thought I would warn you to be careful on this road and the town you're heading to. Very dangerous."

"Dangerous?"

"Yeah... it's kinda hard to explain, but there's been a lot of strange things going on there. I was there quite awhile back, and I just come here every now and then to tell people to be careful if they absolutely have to go here."

"Oh.. I see."

Cybil turned back to Adrian and put a hand on her hips. "Speaking of which, what are you here for?"

"Ah..." Adrian sighed. He didn't reveal personal information to anyone, police or not. "I'd rather not say, just need to pick up my brother."

"And you believe he's here?"

"Yeah.."

"Why would that be?"

"...Look, I'd rather not talk about this, he's probably waiting for me right now."

Cybil nodded and took a step back towards her motorcycle. "Alright. But if you don't mind, I'd like it if I escorted you there, the road's pretty bad even if you took the fog away."

Adrian gave her a smug smile and reached for the handle to his driver door. "Sure, that'd be great. Thanks, miss."

"It's alright, just call me Cybil.. I'm not one of those stereotypical officers from 'Cops' or anything."

Adrian chuckled and nodded as he opened the door next to him. "Alright then... Cybil."

He climbed into his car and Cybil headed back to her motorcycle and got on, putting her helmet back on and slowly pulling off the shoulder and back onto the road and Adrian doing the same.

Adrian stayed a close distance behind Cybil; he had to or he'd have lost her in the fog. Cybil's motorcycle drifted left into a turn. Adrian's car did the same. Cybil then moved into the opposite lane onto the far left.

_'What the hell is she doing?' _

He looked out at her through his window as he rolled it down. "Are you insane?!"

Cybil didn't seem to hear, however, she seemed much more concentrated on the road. Adrian continued to look out at her with concern, hoping nothing went wrong with her in the lane for oncoming traffic. In this fog, he almost expected the Devil to pop out. And in a way, it did.

_'Chick's got a death wish driving in the opposite lane in fog like this.'_

_BAM!_

Out went Adrian's right front tire as it smashed itself up in the nasty pothole it had hit.

"_Shit_!" His car swerved at Cybil who noticed the pop of Adrian's tire and sped up to get out of the way of the car careening towards her. Adrian barely managed to regain control of the car as he swerved it back out to the right, then left, and finally steadying it out. But by the time he did, Cybil was well out of sight.

"Dammit," he mumbled nervously as he kept a hawk's eye on the road. His hands tightly gripped onto the steering wheel in front of him. His foot slowly pressing on the gas to speed up and hopefully catch Cybil. He then reached over to the CD player and turned it back on to the song he was listening to before. Softly, voice tinged with fear, he began humming along. And then, he glanced out to the left to see if he was catching up to Cybil, but in the blink of an eye he had seen it. Cybil's motorcycle completely wrecked. And no Cybil in sight. "Ooookay," he mumbled as a bead of sweat began to form on his forehead. He quickly wiped it away with one hand while his other hand remained glued to the wheel.

_'And I wonder, will you digest me?'_

_BAM!_

Another pothole, and out went Adrian's left front tire. He swerved again, but this time the front tires were too banged up to support the car at the speed it was going. The car drifted sideways before flipping over once. Twice. And for a moment, all Adrian could see was total darkness.


	4. Chase

Chapter 4: Chase

Adrian snapped out of his blackout fairly quickly. He had been knocked dizzy from the flipping of his car. It had also took him a minute to realize he was no longer in his car, but a fair bit away from it.

He was sprawled out in the middle of the road and the broken, ripped off driver door next to him which was responsible for spilling him out onto the concrete. He slowly attempted to get to his feet, but failed as he fell right back down on his ass. "Ah.. Fuck!"

An impossible to ignore jolt of pain raced through his left leg. He looked down to see what it was from, and there he noticed a dull piece of metal stuck in his thigh.

"Aww fuck, aww damn that hurts."

He reached down and grimaced as he painfully pulled it out ever so slowly before throwing it aside, not caring that it was once a piece of his car. All he cared for was the fact that a part of his leg now felt hollowed out, and it was the most disturbing feeling he ever felt in his life. He never felt something break his bond of skin and bone like that until that moment and although he knew that the pain would soon subside, the disgusting, sickeningly repulsive feeling of the blood running down his leg and drying to stick to his skin and his black jeans would not.

He ran a hand along the left side of his head to feel the blood that had begun to run down from there and stained his blond hair as well. He then tried to stand up again, and that time he knew well enough to put all his weight on his right foot. He slowly made his way forward, limping noticeably and putting a hand over the nasty and bloodied hole in his left thigh while forcing himself to continue on. He almost did so as if something far beyond his brother's possible presence was driving him to fight the temptation to turn around. Something he couldn't put his finger on. Something as mysterious as the fog that surrounded him at that moment.

He pushed on, the sound of his car's battered engine guiding him to where he wanted to go. Although the closer he got, the more the engine noises didn't exactly sound like engine noises. More like the ravenous barking of a pack of rabid dobermans. And the barking like noise continued to get louder... and louder.... and louder....

That was when Adrian ran his right hand along the smashed hood of his once prized possession, which had been turned into a shadow of its former self in the blink of an eye. The windshield was shattered, all four side windows broken, the front two tires picked clean like the skin being stripped off a deer. The barking disappeared, overtaken by what was really an engine's dying sputters.

_'Man, this isn't the place I wanna be hearing things.'_

But there was another noise that bothered him. _Drip. Drip. Drip._ He squatted down as much as his battered leg would allow, and frowned at the gasoline that began to leak out. And with that would come the danger of a possible explosion; a possibility that Adrian quickly took into mind and decided to get a head start. He ran as hard as he could, to no particular spot at all. It was too difficult to see to pinpoint a perfect spot to take shelter anyway. All he knew at that time, was the farther away he got from his car, the better.

The wetness the blood was creating on his left leg was beginning to come off as more of an annoyance than anything else. It almost made him stop right there, but the adrenaline rush he got at the thought of his car blowing up with him only feet away from it was more than enough to get his mind off the pain that ran through his body with every moment. Every pain with the exception of the pounding headache he begun to inherit.

He had eventually made it a safe distance away and with the security of not feeling the warmth and rush of an explosion behind him. That gave himself a moment to double over and catch his breath. The sound of his ragged breathing was suddenly all he heard however, the silence eerily settling in over Adrian's position.

Adrian dropped to his right knee and clutched his chest while waiting for the air to return to him, which it eventually did; along with some new noises to boot. The noise of foot steps in front of him, quick and rythmic, and fading fast from Adrian's senses. It was then, as he tried to stand upright once more, he realized he was no longer on a road. The ground under him was soft. Dirt.

The dirt path he was on was narrow, and much worse than the pothole filled road could ever dream of being. It moved downhill, and on one side of the path was nothing but rock for feet and feet into the air, unclimbable. The other, nothing. Absolutely nothing, but a long fall for Adrian if he were unfortunate enough to venture off the path before him.

He would struggle forward however, only to chase the footsteps he had momentarily heard. "Cybil?" He muttered as he went, his feet noiselessly clammoring along the dirt as he hobbled at a relentless pace. His refusal to give up eventually earned him the strength to move quicker, fighting the pain that was trying to hold him back from what was ahead through the mist. However he would continue never the less, as much as the fading of the footsteps discouraged him and the sudden return of the demonic barking like noises had scared him, he refused to be denied of answers so easily.

And yet he fought on, and slowly the footsteps began to get louder, and louder, but so were the grating battle cry like howls of something, or some things off from above the rocks next to Adrian. And for a split second, Adrian thought the worst. It all ran through his mind as quick as his brief loss of consciousness.

_'Whatifmybrother'sdeadwhatifI'mdeadwhatifthisisalljustafuckingdream-'_

He quickly found himself out of that state of mind and into a state of hope as then dirt was exchanged for concrete once more and a figure could be seen in the distance. The figure of a woman. Cybil?

"Ya really scared me back there, y'know that?" Adrian stepped forward towards the figure, only to stop at an intersection in the road. The figure stared back at him just across the street, but spoke not a word. Instead came the sound of a car moving at a blazing speed, roaring almost like a train, and quickly filling the silence that amounted between the two figures. Adrian walked forward, instinctively thinking his words weren't heard. "Cybil, c'mon..." These words were however drowned about by the quickly growing noise of something rumbling quickly towards him. He ignored them however and headed out to cross the street-

-Until a blinding light caused him to turn aside, and get smashed in the ribs by the oncoming car that shot by. The venture into the air slowed to a crawl, but the brutal landing onto the unforgiving concrete lasted merely two seconds. The pain went away fast as did Adrian's consciousness, and the car that struck him seemed to follow suit. It was nowhere to be found after sending a broken human sprawling to the cold ground.

And that was when Adrian awoke again, in a restaurant. Groggy. Confused. Alone. Again.

Cybil woke up on the side of the road, not too far away from her motorcycle. The massive headache she awoke with was beyond intolerable.

_'Where's that teen?'_

She quickly got to her feet; her landing in a bunch of forgiving bushes helped break the fall and caused her to survive her crash with minimal injury. Couldn't complain about that, although she wished she hadn't crashed in the first place.

_'Great. Another wrecked bike.'_

Cybil turned to the road that she was driving down. Through the fog, a silhouette appeared. "Hello?"


	5. Empty

Chapter 5: Empty

Adrian looked around as he felt a sharp jolt of pain in his stomach. His head leaned down to look at the table he had been sleeping on, and to see an food plate next to his arms. Completely clean, save for the few crumbs that had been left there. He had brought a hand over his ribs and winced.

The feeling of sickness was coming back, a feeling he knew all too well those past couple weeks. He just couldn't stomach eating anything for some reason. It made him go into a frenzy sometimes and have him on the ground in seconds, which was almost about to be repeated then and there in that restaurant as he stood up and flung away the chair he was sitting on and quickly dropped to his knees. He was ready to puke at any moment, and the thought that he had nearly been killed on two occasions did not comfort it in the least.

He kneeled there, coughing, tears involuntary moving down his cheeks as he fought the surges of pain. The surges of pain that felt like being hit by an oncoming car.

_'Good God....' _

And then it was over. The pain abruptly stopped, just like that. He inhaled deeply and brought his hands from his stomach to the floor so he could push himself back onto his feet, which he did. He then sat up on the table behind him and looked around, just realizing that the entire place was eerily empty. "...Hello?"

He looked around, and saw no signs of anyone. Not a single, solitary person. Everything about the restaurant was neatly kept; the tables were cleaned to perfection, the chairs, all but the one Adrian was sitting in were all turned over on top of their tables. More than enough to give Adrian the sense of feeling that he shouldn't have belonged there at all.

"Hello?" His voice came off like an echo through the soundless restaurant, distant and spine tingling. It was almost unreal.

He hopped off the table he was sitting on and took a couple steps over to the counter which was also clean and had nothing on it more than the cash register. He leaned forward and peered into an open doorway that led into the kitchen. "HELLO?"

He climbed over the counter and stepped in the kitchen doorway for a closer look, but still couldn't see anything moving. He stepped inside and walked through the narrow path in front of him which was surrounded by metal shelves for holding food. However at this moment, they weren't holding much of anything except for maybe dust. And with how tidy the place looked, dust on those shelves wouldn't have been very likely.

Adrian continued none the less as he limped down the hall. His left leg was beginning to hurt badly, but he pressed on; it wasn't like there was much to do if he stuck around anyway. However, he found himself rewarded for his persistence still when he found what appeared to be a first aid kit.

Immediately drawn towards it by the red cross it carried on it's white plastic case, he threw off the top and found a bunch of bandages and a needle full of adrenaline inside. He wasn't about to play with the needle however, and instead simply opted to wrap his wounded leg with the bandages. Once he wrapped them tight enough he rolled his pant leg back down and turned to continue walking when something alerted him.

He turned around and noticed the fry cooker nearby was still running, and was still spouting steam. He cocked an eyebrow as he made his way over to it, and had noticed that the filter was still the container of boiling liquid. He grabbed the handle to it and lifted it up, but it didn't reveal a few dozen fries; instead a sole silver key emerged, and it gleamed from the oil that it had been left in.

"Very odd place to leave a key..." Adrian mumbled to himself. And taking a glove from the counter next to him, he grabbed the key and quickly put it in his pants pocket.

_'Someone sure as hell didn't just go and make keys a part of the menu here.'_

The key to Adrian was more important than it may have seemed to someone else. Who would leave a key in a fry cooker if they weren't trying to hide it? Adrian had those kinds of hunches every once in awhile. And usually his hunches, the few that he ever had, were dead on.

Sighing, Adrian looked to his left and saw a door at the end of the hall. He made his way over to it and threw it open, only to find himself in a narrow, fogged up alley. The fog was as intense as it was on the road Adrian was driving on, as intense as it was on the dirt path Adrian had been chasing someone on. And with how much fog had been there, it was to the point that Adrian could even argue that there was anyone at all.

He took a couple steps down to his left and squinted his eyes. Nothing but a brick wall in his way. "What the hell is that doing there?"

_'Heh, smart question to ask in a town with the fog from Antonio's Bay in it.'_

He laughed at the thought in his head, even though the overall situation made it tough to do such a thing. He shrugged it off however and turned to head back in the other direction. However, what he found was not a way out of the alley that he would have expected. Instead, he found yet another brick wall blocking his path, not being able to see it until he was practically on top of it.

"Oh what the fuck is this?" He slowly stepped back from the wall. "How could an alley be blocked off like this?"

He moved towards it and jumped to try and grab the top of the wall, but it was no use, it was simply too tall. "Does this place have criminals that have an easy time hopping fences or something? Goddamn..."

Sighing, he turned and made his way back inside the restaurant, not given much of a choice in the issue. He hopped back over the counter and walked around in the middle of the main part of the restaurant before he rubbed his stomach with one hand. He was getting that pain again.

Looking around, he found a door that had 'Restroom' labeled on it in faint letters that would have been easily overlooked if the place had not been so empty. He ran with a limp over to it and threw the door open and immediately went to the first stall, throwing up in the toilet in front of him. When he finished he stumbled back, the tile wall behind him being the only thing that kept him standing.

He audibly exhaled in relief and reached into his pocket to pull out a pack of Orbit gum. He put the gum in his mouth and looked around further as he began to chew, noticing a gust of wind that chilled him to the bone. It came from a wide open window at the opposite side of the restroom. He approached it and stuck his head outside. And as fast he put the gum in his mouth, it fell right out as his jaw dropped in awe. What was once a foggy day had become a dark, very dark night.

"It's a little past noon," Adrian whispered to himself, "how in the fuck could it possibly be night time?" He looked to one side of the alley outside, but could see nothing.

"What the hell is going on here?"

The darkness was even worse than the fog was, and that wasn't much of a small feat to accomplish, either. He turned his head to the other side and looked real hard, and there it was. The same figure that he saw earlier, or at least it could have been. Either way, it was a silhouette and Adrian needed to see who it was.

"HEY!" Adrian bellowed before climbing out of the window. He dropped down and scowled as he lifted one of his feet to reveal that he stepped on the gum that fell out of his mouth a moment ago. "Dammit!"

He lifted his right foot and successfully scraped the gum off on the side of the restaurant. When he turned to look at the silhouette, it was gone.

"You stupid bitch," he growled in frustration as he dug into his pocket once more, this time pulling out a laser pointer. He held a button on the end of it and the small red light beamed out.

"Meh, better than nothin' I s'pose," he said meekly before pointing it down at the ground and creating a faint red light around his feet, "wow this sucks."

He then headed over in the direction where the shadow had been standing, hoping he would catch up to it, but to no avail. When he stopped he was out in the sidewalk, and nothing but the empty street in front of him. His laser pointer wasn't showing well, thanks to the inability of it to shine on anything from long range. So instead of pointing it in front of him, Adrian pointed it back to the ground to see where the street began, but had caught a glimpse of more than he had expected.

Something on the ground reacted violently to the red light being shined on it and as a result it scampered across the street, crawling along quickly and scaring Adrian enough to make him jump back and put all his weight on his left leg, therefore causing him to yell in pain and fall back to the ground, laser pointer skittering across the sidewalk.

The thing, only a matter of feet away from Adrian, had stopped at the sound of the human body crashing to the pavement. It remained impossibly still, as Adrian slowly pushed himself along the sidewalk and away from the thing on the ground. He couldn't get a good look at what it exactly was, but something told him he didn't want to know; it surely wasn't a person and he was positive it wasn't the figure he had seen right before then. And he had a scary feeling it wasn't going to be anything he had ever seen before.

He dared not take an eye off the thing that remained unbearably unmoving, although he was trying to spot where his laser pointer had rolled off to without making the slightest movement that would further piss the thing off. He looked to turn around, he wanted to, but before he did the thing began to move again. It mimicked Adrian's slow gestures as it moved one of it's limbs towards him, and then the other. They both began to move rythmically, Adrian moving a foot and arm back, and the thing in front of him moving what would appear to be a foot and arm forward.

That continued for a few moments, before Adrian crashed into something behind him which created a load of noise and caused the thing to scurry backwards alarmingly quick. Adrian yelped and turned his head to see that it was nothing more than a pile of garbage bags that he had just caused to spill its contents onto the sidewalk. Among those contents was a rather noisy item, square and compact and in Adrian's reach. He grabbed it and put it to his ear to listen.

"Broken radio..." he said grimly. He could've sworn that he heard one of his band's songs playing faintly in the background, but he couldn't be sure. That didn't really matter anyway. Ade looked back at the thing nearby to see where it was, surprised that it had moved back rather than forward to attack him. It then slowly retreated further backwards, only a couple steps. However, when the figure did that, the radio's crackling of white noise began to dim just a bit, but enough to be noticed. Adrian glanced back at the radio and shook his head quickly before turning back around and seeing his laser pointer shined on the wall of the restaurant, and only a few feet away.

He crawled on over to it and picked it up, now having that in his left hand and the radio in his right. And as he slowly stood himself up, the radio began to blare the static at an increasingly high volume.

"Agh.." Adrian winced and turned around only to realize that the figure was crawling back towards him, making definitive threatening movements in his direction. Adrian froze still and slowly brought the laser pointer to shine on the thing a few feet in front of him, and this only seemed to make the figure even more incensed.

The faint red on the shadow had caused it to shriek in an ear splitting manner before in one swift and shocking movement, two wings sprouted from its back and it shot up nearly six feet into the air, level with Adrian's face. It began to hover there idly, its wings beginning to flap in a slow and steady motion. And then, in another quick movement, it shot forward and for the first time its features had become disturbingly clear to Adrian's eyes. And Adrian had immediately wished that the monster had stayed in the shadows.

Long serrated teeth grinned a demonic grin as its mouth hung open as if it were ready to scream. Its skin was pink and almost elastic like, in a sense that it seemed to be stretched and barely able to cover the indescribable monster's body. The wings were large but thin looking, the whoosh they made when they flapped added with the crimson liquid that dripped from the pierced skin where the wings had shot out from however made them dreadfully menacing. Its thin legs dangled underneath its giant upper body, long clawed feet curled as if the monster were perched on something. Its terribly white eyes stared into Adrian's contrasting dark brown ones, although it seemed to be fixated on something more than anything tangible. Rather, it seemed to be staring to the pit of Adrian's very soul.

It made another swoop forward at Adrian, but Adrian dropped out of the way and it shot past him and swirled by before disappearing into the alley Adrian had come from. This was Adrian's chance. He ran towards the front doors to the restaurant he had left and tugged on them. However, they didn't budge.

"Fuck..." he mumbled quietly, hoping to refrain from raising the bird-like monster's annoyance level further than it already looked to be. He gazed around at the empty block around him. Nothing but foreboding buildings and intimidating shadows they gave off. The streetlights refused to work which forced Adrian to stay where he was rather than go blindly running in any direction where he could be led to another one of those things.

Frantic thoughts raced through his mind. Would he take his chances in the darkness? Would he check to see if the monster was gone so he could climb back into the restaurant window? Or would he flat out attempt to kill it? So many possibilities, although none added up to results Adrian particularly enjoyed.

He placed the radio in one of his pants pockets, its static dying down for the time being which seemed to signify that the monster wasn't near. He then decided to take his laser pointer and put that away in his pants pocket. It didn't seem to help much anyway other than egg the thing on. He then walked over to the pile of garbage he had knocked over and looked down to see what he could find, hoping he would hit-

_'Paydirt...'_

Adrian eyed the steel pipe that leaned against the restaurant's brick wall. He picked it up and looked it over with a smirk. "Here, birdy birdy..." he cautiously stepped into the alley and looked into the darkness, where his voice became an echo. "If there's a God out there, God.. you better not make me use this."

He continued to move forward, raising the pipe as if it were a baseball bat. And then, against Adrian's silent wishes, the radio began to crackle. He took another step forward, praying it was only his cruel imagination tricking him into running like a scared little girl. Unfortunately for him, it wasn't.

Over the radio's cries, a faint flapping noise could be heard down the alley. And it began to get louder and closer... closer and louder... and finally the thing shot out from the darkness and right at Adrian as if it could see him perfectly in the dark. Adrian wound up and swung away...

...and completely missed.

The bird had flown right by him, but lucky for him his rabid swinging had kept it from getting to swipe back at him. He turned and waited for it to come back, which it did after it circled around. It zeroed in on Adrian, just as he swung again, this time successfully connecting with the monster's side. Adrian winced and almost instinctively pulled the pipe back at the sound of the bones cracking against the thud of the rusted steel, but knew he would be in for a hell of a painful death if he did, which gave him no other alternative than to put all his force into his swing, and that sent the bird crumbling to the ground in a heap.

Its wings flailed meekly in an attempt to right itself, but it was no use. Adrian put one foot on each wing which pinned it to the ground as he continued to wail away. The combination of the bird's insanely loud screams and the radio seethingly annoying spurts of static only fueled Adrian more as he slammed the pipe repeatedly into the thing's face, over and over again. However, he could surprisingly feel the wings buck underneath his feet in a last ditch effort to get free rather than quickly going limp. Adrian continued pounding away, emitting a grunt with each swinging motion he had made. And finally, after about a dozen smashes to the sides of the bird's frail head, he slammed the pipe down through the monster's wide open mouth where it left the back of its head and shuddered against the concrete ground, which ceased its inhuman shrieks for good.

The radio quieted down as well as Adrian pulled the pipe out of the monster's bloody head. He stepped off its wings, but only to give it a couple of swift stomps to its body for good measure. He then slowly backed away as a pool of blood began to form around the dead body, and Adrian refused to get any blood on his pants that wasn't his. His breathing was heavy and ragged as he stared at the unmoving figure at his feet before he finally spoke in a voice that cracked from fear.

"What the FUCK is that thing?"

He hoped to think about it more once he got back inside so he chose to do just that. He put the pipe in through the window before he climbed in after. And then he realized, things were very different.

The tiled walls were now caked with something that looked like a mix of blood and dirt. The floor crackled underneath Adrian's feet due to the chips of tile that crumbled under Adrian's weight. The stalls were now washed over with blood and strips of decayed flesh and the toilets were full of the same slushes of red. Adrian looked at the restroom for a long minute before he turned to look at his reflection in a now broken mirror as he tried his hardest not to cry. "I wanna go home..."


	6. Faith

Chapter 6: Faith

As much as it hurt him to say it, he did. The thought of him simply leaving his brother in such a place hurt him tremendously. He surely wouldn't want Cain to do that to him, and Adrian wasn't so sure about leaving him behind anyway. But after what he had just witnessed, he wasn't so sure he wanted to stay much longer. He shook his head and rubbed at his left eye to make sure he didn't start to tear up before he walked picked up his pipe and walked out of the restroom, where things just got a whole lot more different.

The clean and tidy look of the restaurant changed dramatically between the time Adrian was out of it. The chairs were knocked over as well as the tables, most of the walls, floor and ceiling had seemed to be badly charred. Adrian looked around in total shock- this wasn't something he could explain rationally, and he doubted that anyone else could do that for him, either. He looked around as his grip on the steel pipe tightened. Things were certainly becoming very strange in the quiet town.

Adrian's eyes scanned his surroundings- he was almost positive that this was not the same restaurant he had first awakened in. Not knowing what else to do, he peered out into the darkness and questioned, "...Hello?" And suddenly, his sense of hearing was jarred as the sound of a slamming door raced through his ears and sent chills up and down his spine several times over.

His grip on the steel pipe was one of iron. He glanced over at the only door in his line of sight and walked up to it. He grabbed the doorknob with one shaky hand while his other held the pipe in a death vice. The door creaked as Adrian tugged on the doorknob. Another restroom, which looked just as trashed and bloodied up as the previous one did, with a horrific stench of burnt flesh to boot. Adrian quickly put the collar of his shirt over his nose and looked at the three stalls to his right in the rather small sized rest room, each of the stall doors closed. Adrian dropped down on all fours and peered under the stalls, but it was no use, it was way too dark to make out much. He would have to open all the doors and make sure.

He approached the first door and kicked it open before he quickly got into a fighting stance. Although he was immediately relieved to see there was nothing on the other side of the door. He moved to the next one and kicked that one open. Nothing there either. Adrian could feel his heart pounding in his chest, almost as if it were going to burst out and say hello. He slowly moved to the third door and brought his right foot up and kicked at the stall door hard. Immediately afterwards he was blinded by white light and a female voice screamed at him. "Ah! No please! Don't!"

Adrian jumped back at the white light and fell on his ass. A wave of stupidity rushed and got up onto his feet to apologize.

"Shit! I'm sorry, miss, but I.. it's just..." He stood up and realized the white light still shined at him but no voice continued to speak. Adrian put one hand over his eyes to shield himself from the brightness that shined on him and leaned forward to grab the flashlight with his other hand, dropping his steel pipe in front of him in the process. "Could you get that flashlight out of my face please? I can't see any-" He cut himself off as he snatched the flashlight without a fight. He turned the light around to shine it in the stall... nothing. Nothing but a stall drenched in a deep, dark red color, and the empty toilet paper dispenser that the flashlight had rested on.

_'No... where are you? I heard you now where -are- you?!'_

Adrian could only stare helplessly at the stall as he slowly reached down and lifted up his steel pipe, putting the flashlight in his breast pocket so he his other hand was free. he then turned around and felt that death grip he had on his steel pipe once again as one of the stall doors creaked shut. His newly acquired flashlight shined over at the door as he took one step towards it. He then carefully tip toed in another step. And another. And eventually passed the closed door, ran out of the rest room, and slammed the door shut before he ran a good safe distance away from the door, backing himself into a corner to make sure nothing had blindsided him. That was, until another voice called out to him. Female, but not like the one he could have sworn he heard in the rest room. "What are you doing cowered over there?"

There was the sound of amusement in the voice as it spoke apparently to Adrian. He turned slightly to the left and his light caught a glimpse of a young woman, wearing all black. Her hair was black as well and went well past her shoulders. The only thing of any color to her besides black were her enchanting green eyes and the pink ribbon that was atop her head, sticking out like a sparkling tiara given the darkness of the room and the black kimono the woman was wearing. She even had on black lipstick which made the smirk on her face all the more distinguishable, which Adrian had indeed noted quickly in the light he shined on her. He was too scared to speak. And the chipper expression on the woman's face had frayed his nerves even more. He didn't know whether he was supposed to be more afraid of the blood and charcoal like texture of the walls or the woman and her creepy smile. Or better yet, the fact that she could possibly smile in such a place. All Adrian could say in response was a single question, "And who the hell are you supposed to be?"

The woman sucked her teeth and took a step towards him, speaking in a cold manner. "Hmph, only fools answer questions with a question. And you should be ashamed asking me who I am, especially in such a tone to me." She took another step in his direction, and Adrian retaliated by lifting up the steel pipe in a threatening gesture. The woman then stopped and took one step back, smiling as she put her hands up defensively and showing off two tattoos, one in each hand of some kind of design inside of a triangle, which Adrian couldn't exactly make out. "Okay, if you are not simply playing dumb with me... Raven Dremora at your service, my love."

She bowed as she spoke, lowering her hand to Adrian who's eyes widened. He was definitely freaked out at this point. Raven lifted her head and noticed Adrian's look of fear which was obviously from her presence, and she turned and paced around, as if a bit frustrated. "Is it really possible you do not remember me? Could that be such a possibility? I never thought you would forget me. No, not even you. I would have thought Sam had told you all about me." She then turned to face Adrian again as her eyes seemingly lit up and she smiled a dark, sinister smile. "Oh, I see... you have not met him yet."

Adrian slowly moved out of the corner. She was crazy, but she didn't seem to be much of a threat to him. "Could you please tell me something I can understand?" Adrian asked pleadingly. "Like maybe if you've seen my brother. Or even a police officer?" Adrian looked at Raven angrily and leaned towards her, his self control to hit the woman fading away. "Or perhaps you can tell me how the _fuck_ it went from daytime to night in a matter of minutes! That would be a bit of a help in its own right!"

Raven looked into Adrian's eyes with a slight bit of shock, before she covered her lips with one hand and let off a small, barely audible giggle. "You haven't a clue, I see." But then, her laughter faded and a look of concern spread across her face and she took a step towards him, her black shoes clacking against the burned floor. "They haven't hurt you that badly... they couldn't have, they promised me they wouldn't." she let one of her hands trail along Adrian's face, which soon trailed down his chest and under his shirt. "What about the scar? Is it still there?"

"You do not touch me..." he muttered bitterly as he yanked her cold hand away from him and set it at her side. "All I want from you is to tell me what you are hinting to me about. Don't toy with me like I know a fucking thing you're talking about, cause I don't, lady!"

Raven backed away and immediately seemed apologetic, her hands held together as a worried look was etched into her eyes. "Oh," she said softly and remorsefully, "I'm sorry.. I didn't mean to do such a thing to you. My love for you is undying, even in this confused and very different state of physicality and mentality you appear to be going through." She reached out and snaked one of her hands into his.

"Please," she begged, "come and I will show you everything."

Adrian pulled his hand back. "What the fuck did I just say?!" His patience was dwindling, alright. Raven frowned and stayed quiet for a moment, before she slowly nodded her head in obedience.

"Yes, I'm sorry. But if you would please follow me.. I'll show you everything. Please trust me, darling.." Adrian shook his head and took a step back from her, which prompted her to question his actions yet again. "Have you still no faith in me?" She asked him. "Haven't I been patient and caring enough to you to garner your trust yet?" Adrian shook his head once more.

"Why can't you just tell me here?" He replied. She was beginning to seem as confused as he was.

"I cannot tell you in a way you will be able to under-"

"_Look_, lady.." he trailed off long enough to grab the woman's left arm harshly, "I've had a really painful bloody and totally bad fuckin' day. So I suggest if you have answers to my questions that you give them to me right now."

Raven simply looked into Adrian's eyes, and the look she gave him was one without fear. Almost as if she knew that she would not be harmed. She spoke a bit softer, just above a whisper. "I cannot tell you in a way you will be able to understand. You seem to remember not a thing about me, and I fear you wouldn't believe a word I confess to you. I can only show you, as that's the only way I believe you'll have faith in the memories I have to give back to you."

She then looked down at the floor and frowned. That was, just after Adrian slowly relinquished her arm. "But I do not blame you for forgetting the past. It has been so hard on both of us that I want to block the memories from my mind as well but I can't. They will not have that from me.. no matter how loyal to them I strive to be." She walked over to Adrian and rested her hands on the sides of his face. "Please, love, you must remember something about me. Do you remember where we used to play together when we were children?"

Adrian looked into Raven's deep green eyes and wordlessly expressed to her his complete and utter confusion. She let go of him and turned away. "Alas, you do not." She paused for a moment, and showed off a half smile. "You do have the key, however? Right?"

Adrian cocked an eyebrow. He did have a key, but whether it was _the_ key, he did not know. He dug into his pants' pocket.

"By any chance do you happen to mean this thing?" He pulled out the key he had found in the fry cooker a little while ago and held it out to her.

She turned and eyed it and nodded her head, her smile growing a bit. "Yes, that is exactly it!" She reached into her kimono and pulled out a folded up piece of paper, handing it to Adrian. A map. "I have marked this spot and the location I wish for you to go. I hope you remember it. We used to play there all the time..."

Adrian eyed the map and noticed the x mark over the Happy Burger restaurant, where they were right now, and the second x- all the way on the other side of the map, marked over a church. Adrian sighed and Raven took note of it. "There something wrong?" She asked.

_'How the hell am I supposed to get all the way over there?'_

"No.." Adrian retorted. "No, everything is fine." Raven smiled and leaned forward, catching Adrian by surprise and kissing him on the lips. She pulled away, and smiled in satisfaction.

"I hope in time everything will truly be fine." There went that freaked out look on Adrian's face again. However, Raven didn't notice it. She had turned her head to the front door of the restaurant. She, too was now beginning to look frightened.

"What is it?" He asked her. She gasped as the doorknob began to rattle.

"Th- They do not wish for me to speak with you this way..." she backed away from Adrian in a panic as the doorknob loudly shook. The radio in Adrian's pocket began to give off static that was off the charts.

"Who doesn't want you talking to me? In what way?" Raven could not answer the question, she was quickly cut off by a large blade penetrating the wooden door. Splinters of the door flew forward as the blade then swiftly, cleanly cut the door in half. One half crumbled forward and the other backward, to make way for something huge. A gigantic knife, followed by a large hand around the blade's thick handle. And then, a foot. And another. And finally, the figure's entire huge, demonic body in all of it's hellish glory had stepped into the doorway.

Raven screamed and turned to the restroom Adrian had climbed in and out of the restroom from. "Run!" She yelled. "Go to our special place while you still have the chance!" And with that, she slammed the door. But Adrian hadn't paid attention to a single word she said in that last sentence. He was too fixated on the monster that walked into the room.

It had the frame of a human, wearing big black boots and what was an extremely bloodied butcher outfit. However, the one thing that stood out the most was the figure's face, which wasn't one that Adrian could pull out from in his worst nightmares. No fairy tale's most sinister monster could possibly become the equivalent of what Adrian was looking at. That... that thing. A head in the shape of a triangle- of a pyramid, which looked burnt beyond recognition. And as it glanced at the slamming restroom door and then slowly over to Adrian, that's when one single word Raven left him with had echoed through his mind.

_'Run...'_


	7. Manhunt

Chapter 7: Manhunt

Adrian looked around in a panic. He had his back against a wall and the giant monster was closing in. The edge of the large blade it was carrying scraped unabashed against the charred floor as the figure stalked closer to the freaked out human at the end of the room. Adrian glanced to his left and back to the big monster, before he dove to the side and over the counter next to him. He then stood up and ran on by when the pyramid headed atrocity swung its blood drenched knife in a stunningly quick manner, looking to decapitate the enemy. However, Adrian was lucky enough to lunge forward and drop to the ground and the knife missed his scalp by mere inches.

Adrian could feel the _whoosh_ from the swing mess up his hair, but he was far from worried about that- he simply picked himself up, climbed over the counter on the other side and ran for the open exit.

"Fuck! Fuck! What the fuck is that?!" He ran as fast as he could force himself to, in no direction in particular. Rather likely to be not in the direction of where he was told to go, which he had completely forgotten about the second he got attacked. It was too intense for Ade for him to possibly think straight; and all he could do was just run in any way that seemed empty and not dangerous, even though that was impossible to do given the flashlight wasn't helping much outside. But as long as he was away from that monster with the sword, he could careless if he ran into a tiger pulling pink elephants out of its ass. And it was then that he slowed to a stop to catch his breath. He leaned against the closest building and wheezed for a moment, until an epiphany popped up in his head.

_'Wait a sec... that wasn't a sword.. that was a knife.... that was a giant fucking knife...'_

And with that Adrian groaned and fell to his knees to try and shake off the dizzy spell that had suddenly come over him- he had been running harder than he thought. That still wasn't enough of an explanation for him when he tried to start walking again and heard a clanging like noise underneath his feet, as if he was walking along steel. Sure enough, when he looked down, there it was. Far from the pavement that should have been there, all there was in the street- if it could have been called that anymore- was mesh grating. And it stretched out as far as the flashlight allowed Adrian to see.

'_Wha.. how the hell?'_

More clanging jarred him out of his thoughts... but that time he wasn't moving. He turned around, and saw that the monster with the huge knife had been following him. It wasn't close enough to hurt him yet, but it sure was coming close to it. "Oh shit..."

He backed away from it slowly before he turned to run, and immediately felt another sharp pain in his left leg. His wound was bothering him again. He grimaced as he hobbled as fast as he could down the street and ran up to the front doors of the closest building and pounded on them. He grabbed the doorknob and tried tugging it, but it was no use- the doorknob was broken.

"No!" He turned and headed for the next building.

"Stay away from me you fucking pyramid head!" He continued to wince as he moved forward. One hand was over his leg and the other over his stomach that had begun to cramp up on him. The Pyramid Head's slow, methodical movements were still enough to gain ground on its prey as its knife dragged along the grating, and it made a sickening screech as it did so. Adrian pounded on the next set of doors- no good. Now aside from fear, he was beginning to get frustrated.

Adrian raced down for the next building and pounded on those doors as well, but to no avail. He grabbed the doorknob and tugged it before he then immediately flew back, yanking it off in a single pull.

_'Great! That's great.'_

Ade turned to see where Pyramid Head was, and his eyes widened- it was getting closer. So close that it pulled its knife back in a huge wind up, and sized Adrian up before taking a mighty swing- which Adrian barely got out of range of. And there, he found himself running down a dark, narrow alley.

His flashlight illuminated the path he was running on, just enough for him to notice the chained up fence at the end of it- blocking his way. "Urgh! Dammit, this can't be happening!" He took the steel pipe he held and slammed it against the lock, praying it would break. Alas, as rusty looking as the lock was, it refused to give. Adrian turned once again to find out where his pursuer was, and a sudden sense of urgency washed over him- Pyramid Head had begun to wind up for another swing.

Quickly and almost instinctively, Adrian threw his pipe over the fence and scampered up over the neck high fence, diving to get out of the way which he barely did. He would pay for that move, however by landing harshly on his spine... right on the steel pipe he threw over.

"Ah!" He clutched his back at the nasty landing he took, but didn't have much time to shake it off as one swing of the big knife had cut the fence in half, and Pyramid Head was already pushing the steel violently to get his huge frame through it. Adrian stood up on the what appeared to be a backyard which was in horrid condition, but Adrian wasn't about to go and pay any attention to that- he simply forced himself onto his feet, grabbed the pipe he threw over, and ran over to the backdoor to the house he was in back of.

"Come on, open!" He repeatedly knocked on it, turning the doorknob, which was locked. "Fuck this," he mumbled, before he lifted up his steel pipe and slammed it hard into the glass of the door, shattering it quickly as Pyramid Head shoved the fence blocking its way, causing the rest of the fencing that surrounded the backyard to fall like a line of dominoes. Adrian jumped in fright- the realization that he could die at any moment had finally sunk in.

He reached his hand through the door and unlocked it before he quickly ducked inside and threw the door shut. He wasn't safe however, not for long. But as long as he could get a second to breathe, he'd be able to start running again. Ade would have to be careful, however- the house he was in was quiet, although it didn't neccessarily mean he was alone. The kitchen he rested inside of was pretty dark, just like the rest of the house.

Adrian peered off into what he could see of the living room, and slowly made his way through the house, quickly making his way for the front door just ahead and in his sights. He stopped right next to the door and looked around to make sure he was safe, which he was for the moment, before he looked at the map that the flashlight shined on for him as he tried to figure out where he was. He had made a right out of the restaurant... went that way a block or two, and ducked into the alley on his left and into the house where he was now- and he cursed to himself as he realized that he had ran away from where he was supposed to go, making the distance he had to travel a couple blocks larger as a result.

He couldn't lament for long, though, as he heard the backdoor literally smash into pieces, and the large monster he was running from squeezed into the open doorway. It then proceeded to continue on its slow but menacing pace after Adrian who crumpled the map into his pants pocket. His hands fumbled with the lock on the door before he opened it and stumbled out onto the sidewalk. "Shit... shit!" He didn't turn around to see if the Pyramid Head was behind him, he just wanted back inside of a safe haven where he could catch his breath for a moment or two. And at the rate he was going, he probably wouldn't find one before passing out from exhaustion.

The only thing that kept him from sprawling out in the middle of the demented looking street was the fear of what would happen if that monster had caught up to him. What did it even want? Did Adrian deserve to be running from a monster so terrible that his imagination would never have been able to conjure up? He didn't know. There were so many thoughts racing through his head as he ran that he didn't know what to believe, what to listen to. Nothing stood out in his mind other than running as fast he could with the leg wound he had, the stomach cramp that bothered him, and the dizzy state he was in. Adrian couldn't stop himself, though. No matter how much pain he was forced to deal with, he couldn't bring himself to stop running. As if a voice in his head told him that he just couldn't give up so quickly. But still, if he was asked why he kept running, he'd probably say that the thought of his brother suffering the same fate pushed him on. But even that wasn't enough to keep Adrian from resting.

He slowed down in front of what appeared to be a corner store. Adrian didn't understand what it was about it that caught his eye, but it just looked like a good place to hide in until he could pull himself together to start running again. He approached the front door, and with a bit of surprise and luck, the door wasn't locked. Adrian pulled it open rather easily, only to slam it shut immediately upon entry.

Ade took a shady look around the corner store's few aisles, and noticed the cash register and the counter it rested on in the back. He ran past aisle two, and on the way by he grabbed a hand sized bag of potato chips and ripped the bag open in midstride before carelessly shoving chips into his mouth. He may not have been able to keep food in his system, but he needed to feel somewhat like he had a full stomach.

He then noticed the freezer in the aisle on his left and headed over to it. Adrian opened it up and put down his steel pipe, leaving his other hand free to grab a one liter bottle of soda. He popped off the cap, eyeing it a bit suspiciously as he held it in his hand before finally he shrugged, put the bottle to his lips, and took a swig of it before he spat it right back out.

"Warm," he mumbled, "figures." He looked at the soda for a moment longer, shrugged and began to chug the soda down, drops of it dripping down and off his chin as a result. He quickly finished the drink and wiped his face with the back of his hand before he blindly reached into the bag and placed another handful of food in his mouth. And then, as he began to chew, his eyes bugged. It was going to happen again...

_'No... this is different..'_

He coughed and choked as he fell to his knees and tried to cough out whatever was in his mouth. But after a moment of failure in doing that, he poked inside his mouth and pulled out what was choking him with two figures... and whatever it was squirmed in his grasp.

"UGH! FUCK!"

The cockroach wriggled free from Adrian's hand and scurried off before it got itself smashed by a drained, disgusted, and angry human being. His tongue poked out of his mouth from the disgust he felt, before he instinctively reached back into the freezer next to him and grabbed another one liter bottle of soda and began to drink the nasty taste out of his mouth. And then, after he discarded the second empty bottle of soda, he felt it in his stomach. This was the pain he had been used to feeling those past few weeks. He winced as he crawled into a corner, obviously threatening to vomit, when he heard a voice behind him that had kept him from doing such a thing.

"Are you okay?"


	8. Residence

Chapter 8: Residence

Adrian turned around and clutched his steel pipe tight, only to notice that the voice behind him had no body to go with it, at least from what Adrian could see, which was admittedly not much. The voice was low and faint- the voice of a young man most likely. He tried to track down where it was coming from, and ended up successful when he noticed the door not too far away from him. The voice spoke again, which gave Adrian a clearer sign of the voice's location. "Hey, is someone there?"

Adrian stood up and walked over to the door, steel pipe in hand. "Yeah, who is that?" The man behind the door did not respond quickly. "Who's in there?" Again, no reply. "Are you alright?"

"I'll live for now," the man finally answered, "I'm stuck back here."

Adrian looked at the doorknob and tried to turn it- it refused to budge. "It won't work," the man said at the sound of the rattling doorknob, "I'd need the key to this door, but I don't have it with me."

Adrian nodded and looked at his steel pipe. "Anyway I can break through this door?"

"No," the man answered with a stressed out tone. "This is the storage room, so the inside is reinforced with steel."

Adrian glanced back at his pipe and shook his head. "Shit..." He hoped that where was some other way- as long as he wasn't asked to go get the key for the man, he'd be happy with getting the poor guy out of there. He simply didn't feel like chasing after a key at this point.

"If you could get the key from my house, I'd be very grateful." Adrian winced at the sound of the sentence.

_'FUCK! No! Ugh, why me?!'_

"Erm... depends on how far away your house is, sir." Adrian tried to reply as nice as he possibly could, but with monsters with wings and giant knives running around, Adrian wasn't very happy with heading back outside. Not in the least. He'd have been much happier being locked in that storage room- and he couldn't understand why anyone would want to leave it. "And don't you think you'd be safer in there anyway?"

The man stayed quiet for a moment before he gave his reply. "I would, but there's something out there in the store I need to get, it's important."

Adrian sighed. "What could be so important to risk going outside with all the monsters around?"

Adrian just realized how dumb he sounded. "...Monsters?" The man sounded a bit confused at that point.

"Yes," Ade replied slowly, "what would be worth coming out of there to go get?"

"You wouldn't understand."

Adrian's jaw dropped before he started to chuckle softly. "Apparently I wouldn't understand anything that goes on around here." He stood there quietly outside the door and thought to himself. He was trying desperately to come up with another idea to help the man out, but couldn't come up with anything. As a result, he sighed once again and his arms wavered. "How far away? I'll go get the key."

"Thanks, it's only about three blocks down the road Be sure to make a left on Levin street. It's a light blue house with a doghouse in the front yard." Adrian pulled out his map and looked at it- Bachman road was a bit more than just about three blocks. Quite the bit more- it was halfway across the map.

"You said Levin street, right?" Adrian asked, confused.

"Yes, that's right."

Adrian glared at the door before he looked at the pants pocket he was shoving the map back into.

_'This stinks. This whole thing fucking stinks.'_

"Please, just go and get it for me, it would mean a whole lot." Adrian gave it a moment of serious thought. He was very well against going out of his way. And yet, if he was in the man's position, he probably would feel like garbage if he was locked in somewhere as well.

"Fine," Adrian muttered, "fine, I'll go and get it."

"Thank you so much," the man said graciously, "I don't know how I'll be able to thank you. It should be right on the dresser in my bedroom."

Adrian shrugged and turned to leave, yelling back as he headed for the front door. "Don't mention it." Then, Adrian stopped and turned around, glancing back at the door. "Hey, just for the record, what's your name?" He didn't get an answer.

_'Fucking imbecile...'_

He turned and left the store.

Ade remained cautious as he stepped outside and looked both ways down the street. He still wasn't too thrilled about going outside at all with that monster that had been chasing him still out there lurking about, but if he ran into it he was at least confident enough he could outrun it. That didn't neccessarily mean he wanted to be put in that situation, however. He just wanted to find his brother, and now he found himself on a goose chase to help other people out. He didn't like it. However, it also meant he was going to move all the faster to get the key for the man as it would mean he'd be after his brother and out of that town all the sooner. And that was the only thing that mattered.

Ade pulled out his map once more and took a look at where he was. If he kept to a jog at least, he'd probably make it to the man's house in ten minutes- maybe even less. But with the possibility of more monsters being nearby, he didn't want to take his chances by blindly running into anything. The radio would help note if something was around, but not in what direction. The flashlight also cut through some of the darkness, but it wasn't nearly enough to see much farther than about ten paces in front of him.

Adrian bit his bottom lip and tried as hard as he could not to yell. The situation he was in was eating away at his mind, and making him crazier and angrier than he was before. All he wanted was his brother back- even when he didn't know why he was wanted in such a place anyway. But whatever reason it was, it most likely wasn't enough to condemn him to such a town, if that's what you could even call it.

The first name for it that hit Adrian was a haunted house. One of those big haunted houses in those amusement parks and local fairs that towns had every now and then. They never ceased to freak Adrian out, even though he knew that the stories behind those haunted houses were never true. But this wasn't a harmless haunted house in an amusement park he could just leave anytime he wanted. Things out there were actually trying to kill him, and if his brother was still alive which he prayed he was, he surely wasn't going to be seen with a smile on his face.

Ade was only a couple blocks away from the house now as he kept glancing between the road ahead of him and the map in his left hand. His jogging made it tough to read the map exactly, but he wasn't about to stop just to make sure he was headed the right way. As long as he could make out where he was and where he was headed, it was more than enough for him. And then for some reason, he stopped. He could have sworn he heard something. He shined his flashlight around him in a circle, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. He continued running, but stopped only a few paces later- he heard it again. It was almost like a mixture of metal scraping against metal, and the sound of a dying animal. Adrian wasn't about to look around to see what it was, though, and he quickly went right back to running. If there really was a noise from something nearby, chances were likely that he wouldn't want to see what it was anyway.

He turned onto Levin street just as he was told to, and he spotted the doghouse on his left, not too far down the street. He walked up the front steps and tried turning the doorknob on the front door- locked.

"Ya know, if I can't get into this fucking house..." Adrian placed his steel pipe against the railing to the right of him and slammed his shoulder against the door once, hoping it would jar open. It didn't work. He tried a second time, and got the same result. He shook his head and ran down the steps and headed all the way back into the street. He then rubbed his hands together, got in a three point stance, and charged the door with all the speed he had in him, hopped up all five front steps in one leap and slammed against the door a third time. It made a very loud noise, that was for sure, but the door still refused to budge.

"FUCK!" Adrian clutched his left shoulder and howled out in pain. "Open sesame, for fuck's sake!" He kicked at the door with his right foot relentlessly, more so out of anger than to get the door open, but quickly stopped himself. The radio in his shirt pocket crackled to life. And a low growl sounded not too far behind that.

He turned his head and felt himself back up into the front door when he noticed something creep out from the doghouse. Big floppy ears, drool dripping out onto the grass, a heavy breathing noise and dropped jaw to reveal two perfect rows of jaws- the perfect resemblance of a dog.. but that was where the resemblance ended.

The rest of its body crawled out into view, and revealed a mass of pink flesh rather than fur. It stood up on its four legs and revealed the frame of a dog, but the lack of fur and the gleam in its eyes made it something much more than that. And in an explicable movement, the foul beast stood up on its hind legs and on its hind legs alone, it began to slowly walk towards the front steps.

Adrian turned around, and with reckless abandon he slammed into the front door over and over again. He grabbed his steel pipe and slammed it into the door repeatedly, causing splinters of wood to fly about in every direction. Adrian looked like a lumberjack trying to chop down a tree as he ruthlessly slammed the pipe again and again into the door, until he began to form a small dent which soon became a small hole. He glanced behind him and watched the dog climb one of the steps, and then another. Adrian quickly stuck his arm into the hole which as good as it was, was not big enough to fit his arm, forcing his arm to scrape agonizingly against shards of wood. He broke the skin in numerous places.

"Dammit! Dammit, godfuckingdammit!" He reached around for the lock, but his hand could not find it. The dog let out a growl as the radio whined and screamed white noise.

_'Jesus, I'm gonna fucking diiie-'_

He then turned his head and grabbed his steel pipe once more with his free hand, and swung as hard as he could with the slack his snared arm would give him, which was just enough to smack the demon dog square in the face. He swung it back the other way, and it hit the dog once more in the torso. And then he pushed the dog backwards with a jab to its neck, and it could do nothing but sprawl backwards across the paved path to the front steps. Adrian shook his head and snapped his eyes shut from the pain his left arm was in from the wood that was cutting into it. His hand continued to feel about for the lock as the dog slowly got up onto all fours and snarled with a sense of annoyance before it then started to run in a wide circle, which ended in it racing for Adrian at the steps- at the exact the same time as Adrian's hand finally gripped the steel bolt keeping him from getting inside the house.

_'Come on, you bitch, move...'_

Ade pushed it one way, but it did not move. He pushed it the other way, and it slid effortlessly off to the side. Adrian then grabbed the doorknob from inside the house and turned it, just as he felt the wind get knocked out of his body, and his arm being shoved into the hole so it was now up to his shoulder, all thanks to the dog that slammed into his side.

"Oww, shit!" The door eventually opened and Adrian swung inside, his arm dangling him from the door as he turned and was soon faced with a new problem- pulling out his arm so he could close the door. The dog had turned around to make another charge, giving Adrian the chance to take his time and slowly pull out his arm as painlessly as possible. It barked and howled at him before it made a beeline for the front steps, just as Adrian slid his now bloody left arm out of the door, grabbed the steel pipe outside, and pulled it in before slamming the door in the dog's face.

Adrian was safe for that moment but the dog refused to give in so quickly- it stuck its nose in the hole Adrian had made and it sniffed at him- almost as if it could point out the distinct smell the blood on his arm. Adrian winced and put the pipe down next to him, allowing himself to hold his bleeding arm- it was cut in several spots, none too deep to cause too much bleeding; more like slightly deep scratches than anything else. They were still hurting like a bitch, though.

The dog continued slamming its huge frame against the door in an attempt to knock the door down, but it was no use. However, in the event that it managed to be successful, Adrian grabbed his steel pipe and stood up, backing away from the door and heading into the kitchen where he tried to turn on the sink, but to no avail. "Stupid piece of junk."

He reached up and settled for the paper towels that hung above the sink. he carefully and gently wiped the blood off his arm and got a good look at the cuts along his arm, which still didn't look as bad as he had thought. He shrugged and grabbed his weapon before he headed back to the living room and slowly walked upstairs.

_'Lemme just get this key and get the hell out of here..'_

He made his way up and into the bedroom right next to him- the door was open, so he just walked on in and looked around. It looked like it could have been his bedroom, so he went looked around on the dresser like he was told, but to his surprise, he found no key.

"You gotta be kidding." He looked in the drawers as well, but it was no joke- the key wasn't there. Adrian checked the dressers in the other rooms. None of them had shown a sign of a key. "You gotta be _shitting _me!" He stormed downstairs and back to the front door and noticed that the dog was gone. He opened the door and looked around, and there he noticed the dog's head poked out of its doghouse. Adrian would have been thrilled to head right back to the store and break the storage room door down just so he could pound that man's head in, but not this time. He walked down the front stairs and approached the dog. It crawled about halfway out of its haven before Adrian had put a stop to that by slamming the steel pipe against the dog's head. It fell forward along the grass and growled out in pain, before Adrian angrily slammed the pipe into its skull once more, and with the sickening sound of bones breaking, the radio had quieted to a slight spark, before the noise turned into nothingness.

"Hey, did you get the key?" The man sounded thrilled to hear Adrian return, but Adrian wasn't close to sharing the same feelings for the person that sent him on the errand.

"What the fuck is your problem man?" Adrian yelled. "There wasn't a freakin' key anywhere in that house, and I almost got killed looking for it, you douche bag. So be happy, I don't have the key so I won't be able to open that door and bash your head in!"

"Bu... but..."

"Bash it, the fuck, in!"

The man didn't sound angry at Adrian's threats- instead sounding very saddened by them in fact. "It was there.. it had to be. Unless..."

Adrian's eyes narrowed as he stared at the door suspiciously. "Unless what?" Adrian asked.

"Unless... yes, she took it. She had to have."

Adrian sighed and leaned against the door- he was exhausted and definitely did not want to hear the man's story. "What are you talking about man?" The man ignored his question.

"There's a church on Bloch street. She should be there, and she probably has the key with her. It's a bronze key with the letters SR on it. Please, please just get it for me. I don't know how I can pay you back for this, but I'll try to. Please..." The man was pretty much begging Adrian to go and get it for him. But before Adrian said anything, he was going to check the map and see how far it was. He looked at Bloch street on his map, and tilted his head when he spotted it. The church he was talking about was the same church Raven marked down on the map for him to go. And he had a feeling it wasn't a simple coincidence.

He dared not tell the man this however, just gave a solemn reply, "I'll see what I can do." And with that, he didn't wait for the man to answer, he simply left the store and headed towards his destination. And if he found no key, he could care less. He just wanted to be on his way home, and he silently swore to himself he was taking his brother with him.


	9. Pray

Chapter 9: Pray

Adrian walked down Bachman road and made his way towards the church which was a few blocks away. He was trying to piece together the coincidence of Raven and that man pointing him along to that same church- and whether or not Raven was the woman that took the key the man was in need of. He didn't even know why he was thinking of it in the first place, though. All he wanted was his brother and just get out of dodge as quick as he could. And if the church was his only hunch as to his location, he was all for going there. As long as that pyramid headed monster with the big knife wasn't there, too, anyway.

He made his way through the street, the radio giving off no sign of a nearby threat. It would crackle now and then but nothing more, not enough to cause panic. And as far as Adrian could see, and other than the demented scenery of the town, the streets looked rather tame. Of course, Adrian wished he was back in his cabin with a nothing but harmless trees everywhere. But as long as there wasn't a monster around at that moment, he was fine. Although there wasn't no denying that the atmosphere around him was getting under his skin. Of all the places his brother had to be...

_'This place changes to day and night randomly, giant monsters are trying to kill you, and this goth chick thinks she's your girlfriend and she most likely tried locking someone into their own store. Priceless.'_

But for his brother, it was worth it. He was losing family fast; another loss could put him next on the offing list, although the knowledge that he'd soon not have a brother anymore was probably a worse fate than dying, even if his brother had inadvertently been an asshole to him in the prior eight months. He had stole his girlfriend, never chose to speak to him since, and that was it. Wasn't so much of an asshole when Adrian thought about it... just spending time with Maria. Something Adrian couldn't necessarily do while he was practicing his band that had been forever in recording limbo.

_'No... don't turn this into something it wasn't. It wasn't my fault she left... it just wasn't.'_

He could no longer bring himself to blame Maria for leaving, either. She needed someone who would be there to take care of her, not someone who would be away recording and be touring with other metalheads. Adrian wanted to follow his dream, Maria just wasn't satiated by his disappearing acts and went to Cain. Cain was a carefree drunkard, but he still loved his fiance like no other.

But still, it wasn't Adrian's fault. It just wasn't. He refused to let it be.

Adrian loved Maria anyway. He wouldn't have isolated himself from the world to think if he didn't. He'd have never taken it as such a loss if he didn't love her. But he did, and as much as he wanted a band, he wanted someone who would care about him and the fact that he was in a band. But much to his dismay, Maria wasn't that someone. However, as much as he disliked the pain they put eachother through, he was still in Silent Hill to get her fiance, his brother, out of the sadistic town and save the day. He wouldn't have Maria's love to show for it, but he'd be damned if he didn't have her respect and gratitude instead. And that was almost just as good. But until he was out in the clear, he'd have to think about nothing but getting his brother back, any kind of faltering in this town could be deadly.

Ade had approached the church in question. He found something hesitant about his movements forward, but with the way the church looked- with such a dreary atmosphere surrounding it, he was pleasantly surprised that he hadn't ran away. And if his brother wasn't on the line, he probably would have. He had no choice, however, and he'd have to head inside the church- which looked as intimidating as anything Adrian ever faced. Perhaps even worse than the 'Pyramid Head'. But with his only hunch inside, he forced himself to walk up the large steps and into the front doors, which emitted loud creaks as he pushed them open. And at that moment, Adrian could almost feel his skin crawl.

A strange odor permeated from the heart of the church towards Adrian's position in the doorway, and was much worse than anything he had ever smelled before. He quickly raised a free hand to cover his nose and mouth before he took a step forward, and felt his foot slip slightly under wetness on the floor. Adrian looked down, shining the flashlight down with him, to find nothing but a dark red, near black liquid streamed all across the floor. It was everywhere, however- on the walls, drops of it dripping from the ceiling, on the seemingly endless rows of wooden pews... and all over the mangled bodies of animals that Adrian had never even seen before. Not even animals... rather monsters.

Adrian back pedalled out into the cold fresh air in the streets and looked up into the sky, trying hard not to let out a long and defeated howl. He would have wanted nothing more than to turn and run as far as his legs would take him at that moment, but it wouldn't mean much if he didn't get the answers he needed. So he took a deep breath, bit his bottom lip, and cautiously stepped back inside.

The bodies were motionless; at least Adrian wouldn't have to worry about killing them all by himself. The only thing that he was worried about was running into whatever had killed them all, which surely wasn't the action of a human. No human would have had the power to kill all the monsters that were strewn along the floor, slumped over in the pews... there were dozens upon dozens of them, it would have taken the ammo of a local police force to put them all down, and as far as he knew there were only three other humans in Silent Hill other than him, and one of them was locked up in his store while the other could have been dead already. But still, Adrian wasn't fine with going anywhere near the corpses. So instead, he strategically headed around them all down the far aisle and tip toed over the few bodies in front of him on the ground.

He eyed the few doors around him. He noticed the one closest to him and reached out to grab a doorknob, until he noticed there was no knob to grab- it had been twisted off, now lying on the floor amidst the blood. Adrian grumbled and looked at the other rooms. One door was partly broken, and the other Adrian found to be locked, the key he found not working on it either. "Great, now what?"

Looked like his plan was demolished before it was even given a chance to begin, but he jumped when he noticed movement at his feet; a large rat scurried by him and over by the altar at the end of the hall, atop a few stairs and it quickly scampered underneath a table draped in white cloth that reached down to the floor.

_'Stupid turd with feet...'_

He looked at where it disappeared, and headed over to the table before he pushed it aside, causing the rat to shoot back out from under the table and down the center aisle of the church. But instead of being focused on the rodent, Adrian found himself looking puzzled at the small door that the table had covered. "Gotcha now..." He pulled out the key from his pocket once more, and crouched down to fit it in the keyhole under the doorknob, where it entered and turned perfectly. He grasped the gold bronze doorknob and turned it, pulling the door open and crawling inside to find himself in a surprisingly large hallway. He stood up and looked down it, but could see no end. For what seemed to be a small church, he didn't expect to be met with such a long hallway. And the subtle calls he heard weren't helping.

He broke out into a run down the hall as a male voice, sounding pleading, almost as if in dying breaths, began to chant throughout the hall. "A.M... where are you? A.M... please.. help me...." The voice quieted for a moment but Adrian didn't stop running. A.M... he hadn't been called that since he was a kid- and for a reason he couldn't remember no less. But he didn't stop to think about it.. he didn't stop running until his knees had involuntarily buckled at the sound of the radio in his pocket blaring static at an ear piercingly high volume. Adrian reached into his pocket and pulled out the radio, staring at it with a look of fright etched into his eyes, when the static was quickly replaced by more chanting, from the same voice, "Adrian- hel- me... A... where are y.... AHHH-" and then the static quickly returned. He knew the voice more than any other.

_'Cain!'_

He broke out into another quick run, ignoring the static that was practically out to destroy his eardrums.. running until he could take no more and was forced to stop and cover his ears and look around for whatever the radio was warning him about. But even though the radio sounded loudly, there was nothing in sight. Nothing in front of Adrian, and nothing behind him. Just an empty hallway with no door in sight and no end in sight, either. He then heard something else over the white noise- that unmistakable metal scraping sound that Adrian had quickly associated with the large knife that deformed giant had been carrying. And if that was indeed where the sound was coming from, Adrian wanted out of that hallway fast.

He turned to look down the hallway from where he had come from, backing off as he did this, and listening tensely as the scraping got closer.. and closer... and-

_BAM_, Adrian's muscles stiffened as he spun around by his heels to see a wooden door in front of him. He exhaled deeply and mumbled curse words to himself as he leaned against the door, scared out of his wits. He wiped his brow which was damp with cold sweat as he looked up at the door and slowly turned the doorknob, pushing the door open to find something he frankly wasn't expecting.

Numerous dolls were along the floor, along with a giant straw doll, possibly eight feet tall, nailed to the wall on the right. Toy fire trucks and board games all around, as if the room belonged to a child. It sure was messy and unkempt enough to be, anyway. But there was no sign of Raven, and no sign of his brother, or any kind of sign of life at all. What did catch his eye, however, was a bronze key atop the cherry wood dresser on the left. Adrian slowly made his way over and checked it, noticing the initials 'SR' engraved onto it. "S.R... S.R... Storage Room.. the guy was right." He took the key and jammed it in his pants pocket and turned to leave, but was shocked when the door was blocked by Raven's small stature. "It's not what you're probably thinking."

"And... how do you know what I'm probably thinking?" Adrian replied. Raven stepped towards him, and seemingly in sync, Adrian stepped back as well. "If you're after that key, you must know of what I have locked up in there."

"Yeah," Adrian replied angrily, "and I'd like it if you told me why you locked the guy in there. And while you're at it, tell me where the hell my brother is!" Raven took a small step back and raised her hands in front of her. "Just calm down, love, you see.. the reason why that door is locked is to protect you. I couldn't even imagine what kind of trouble you would be in for if you opened that door, which is why I took the key from him and locked him in. Please... please believe me? I know it may seem harsh of me to do to you, but-"

"To me?" Adrian tilted his head in confusion. "If he's locked in so he can't harm me, why would that be such a harsh thing to me?"

"Oh," Raven said, "that's right, you haven't fully remembered yet.. Don't worry, sweetheart.. you'll get your memory, and you won't need that mere shadow of yours around anymore."

"Shadow of mine? What are you talking about?"

"I told you," Raven answered, "I can only show you, and that is what I've come here to-"

"Dammit!" Adrian fell to his knees and lifted up his hands, dropping his steel pipe to the ground. "Agh, my head..."

"Love... what's wrong?" Raven knelt down in front of him as he held his head, tugging on his hair.

"My head... it hurts..."

Raven leaned forward and embraced Adrian gently, trying to soothe him. "You've been up and about too much.. you need rest, dear."

"No..." Adrian said, pulling away, "this is... different. Something's wrong." And with that, Adrian stealthily put the bronze key into his pocket.

_'She's been acting a little too nice... she's hiding something she isn't as eager to tell me as she claims. Ergh, if only I could think straight and not have these damn air raid sirens hurting my ears!'_

And he surely wasn't prepared for what would come next. He glanced to his left, only to find the scare crow like doll on the wall missing. This discovery, was quickly followed up by Raven letting off a loud shriek.

"Look out!" She grabbed Adrian by the hand and pulled him forward and out of harms way from the huge lumbering scarecrow that reached out for him. "We must go," Raven pleaded, "we must go!" And with that, she took off running out of the room, leaving Adrian staring in awe at the huge thing walking towards him. The straw made disturbing crunching noises as it moved, and was even worse than the sounds of his screaming brother who was at that point, more than likely in danger.

With renewed vigor, Adrian picked up his steel pipe and swung it as hard as he could into the doll's side, and was surprised to be met with a loud _clang_, and Adrian dropped the pipe- hands shaking in pain. That doll wasn't just made of straw.

_'It's like that fucking thing has STEEL under its shirt....'_

And with an iron grip, the straw doll grabbed Adrian by the throat and lifted him off the ground, forcing Adrian to stare into its beady eyes... its _human_ eyes.

They blinked and glared at him, a dark brown that easily made them resemble buttons. Adrian looked at them in pure terror- steel, straw, and now human parts?

He swung frantically at its face, and fortunately for Adrian the straw neck couldn't take more than two swipes, and the head quickly rolled off of its shoulders... and a geyser of blood shot up from the opening that had been created.

Adrian was dropped to the ground but the thing refused to fall. It stumbled around aimlessly, swinging its long arms to try and desperately grab Adrian again, but Adrian grabbed his steel pipe and swung at one of its legs, taking it off easily and causing more blood to spatter everywhere. The lanky figure couldn't hold its balance very long with only one leg, and it quickly fell to the ground after that, but it continued to squirm. Adrian carefully stepped towards it and used the pipe to poke the shirt away... and revealed human, living flesh underneath... and an enlarged heart on the outside, pumping to its own beat.

"Oh my God..." Adrian covered his mouth with one hand, as the other thrust the steel pipe forward and straight into the huge beating mass on the not so straw doll's chest. The limbs made a couple of dying spasms before the body went limp. Adrian momentarily reveled in a sense of pride of killing the monster, a sense of power beginning to grow in his mind. Maybe he could get his brother back afterall. But if he were to do that, he would have to find Raven first, or unlock the storage room and ask that man.

But upon taking one step to the door, Adrian fell backwards and onto the floor, his head slammed harshly on one of the fire trucks on the ground, and knocked him out. And then, only air raids filled his mind, until he would wake up...


	10. Coincidence

Chapter 10: Coincidence

"Adrian?" A small, almost distant voice called to Adrian as his eyes fluttered open and shut. His eyelids were heavy and his strength was completely sapped from him, the last thing he would want to do was wake up. "Adrian," the voice called again, "are you alright? Come on, wake up..." Slowly, Adrian forced his eyes open and looked up at the person speaking to him.

"Ugh, Cybil," Adrian coughed as he tried to sit up, "what the hell is going on here?"

Cybil didn't answer quickly, she simply put her hands on Adrian's shoulders and guided him onto his back onto the soft bed he was lying under. "Just be still now," she said warmly, "what happened? I saw you come into this church, so I followed you."

"You.. saw me?" Adrian tried to sit up again, but he simply didn't have the power to. The only muscles he could possibly move were the ones he used to speak. "What about Raven? Did you see her, too?"

"Raven..." Cybil said softly, seeming a bit puzzled, "I don't know anyone by that name. I didn't see any woman here either."

Adrian forced himself up. "B- but she was here..."

"I'm sorry.. I'm sure someone was here, it's just-"

"But she was," Adrian cut her off, "c'mon, Cybil, I'm not lying, why would I make something like that up?!"

Cybil rested her hands on Adrian's shoulders once more and tried to calm him down. "I believe you, Adrian, but I'm asking you to be sure of this.. this town can make a lot of things seem different from what they really are. I know..."

Adrian seemed a lot more calm after Cybil said that, but he immediately looked to his side and down at the floor where the dismembered part straw part human body was lying. "There was this fucking doll, though, and-" he reached over to point, but quickly pulled his hand back at the sight of the floor. Nothing. It was perfectly clean and tidy. No blood at all, no doll. The fire trucks and board games and dolls were all put away on shelves around the room. It looked far different than how it appeared a little while ago, if it was indeed just a little while ago, but it was definitely the same room- and Adrian was next to positive that Cybil didn't just go and clean everything up.

"What? What was it?" Cybil asked. Adrian looked around for the huge abomination he had killed, but it was nowhere in sight.

"N- Nothing," he said softly, "nevermind."

"Oh.." Cybil could see through Adrian's insistence that everything was okay, and knew that something else had to be wrong. But to talk about it with him in the bad way he was in... it was probably something he didn't need. "So," she mumbled, "any luck with your brother?"

Adrian shook his head. "I mean, I thought he'd be here... that's what that girl I was tellin' you about, Raven, had led me to believe anyway."

"Sorry to hear that," she said, "just goes to show that everyone caught here is off the deep end, I suppose." Adrian shot her a nasty glance, which she immediately sensed. "I'm sorry."

Adrian sighed and nodded his head. "Yeah, it's okay."

"What about you?" Adrian asked. "Why did you come here in the first place?" Cybil took a deep breath and looked at Adrian with a sense of unpleasantness. She didn't exactly look willing to tell her story, but before Adrian could retract his question, Cybil started to speak.

"Went into Silent Hill for what was thought to be a regular domestic abuse situation. Young woman called the department over in Brahms constantly, reporting acts of abuse by her husband, but never stayed on her phone in time to give us a location. This went on for about three weeks or so until we managed to trace the calls that had led to a house here in Silent Hill. So I headed out there, crashed my bike around the same spot I did a little while ago, and had to walk the rest of the way. And when I finally got to the house, it looked deserted. No furniture inside or anything. But the thing that really got me thinkin' was when I turned to leave, and I glanced down the driveway and into the backyard.. and I could see this figure, standing over something at his feet. So I went into the back to question him but he disappeared into the house. So I crouched down to see what he was standing by, right... and on the headstone it said, 'Here lies Evelyn Curtis, nineteen sixtyeight to nineteen eightyeight'- and I swear on my badge that it really said this underneath that, it said.. 'Fear of blood.. tends to create fear for the flesh'."

Adrian stared blankly at Cybil for a long moment. Suddenly he felt like a dumbass for ever asking Cybil the question he had asked her. "What's worse," she continued, adding more and more memories to the base of her story, "was that when I got back to the situation about a day later, I traced the calls again, and couldn't pin a location. It was as if the town was in existence one minute, and not the next. Kinda like the Bermuda Triangle, you know?"

"Was about fifteen years ago," she added, "was about nineteen then, would've been twenty in a few weeks. I'm thirtyfive now."

Adrian's eyes widened as he tilted his head slightly. "I'm nineteen now..." he trailed off for a moment, almost as if he was thinking as he looked down at the space on the bed between him and Cybil, before he looked back up at her, "I turn twenty on the seventh of July."

And then, Adrian noted the shade of white Cybil's face slowly changed to, before she nodded. "That's my birthday..."

_'Holy shit...' _Adrian's thoughts spoke to him as they pelted him with eerie musings, _'that's one hell of a coincidence...'_

Adrian shook his head, and Cybil followed suit. "It's stupid," Cybil said, "lots of people share birthdays, not anything to get too excited over." Adrian quickly agreed with her.

"Yeah," he replied shakily, "yeah, that's right." Cybil nodded as Adrian looked around a bit, almost as if to having seconds thoughts as to whether he was still safe in that 'children's' room or not, before he questioned Cybil once more out of pure curiousity. "You didn't go after the guy you saw?"

"Not even sure if it was a man come to think of it," she shrugged, "I'm honestly not sure what I saw anymore."

"It looked like a man through the fog, but I just had one of those instincts that somethin'... somethin' wasn't right about him. And now I'm not so sure if it's a blessing that I didn't get to see him or not. Sort of took my mind off of it though when I met someone who was in the same trouble as I was."

Adrian then began to lean back, slowly growing more and more intrigued with the story and caring less and less about how frightening it would be. "Who was it?"

"This man... he was looking for her daughter, he said. Managed to find her, but she couldn't be helped when we got there. Gave birth to a little girl, though... almost as if her life would start over with that baby, really. And it's sad... I read a police report from a man who was helping his daughter on another Silent Hill case that said he died recently. Name was one I wouldn't forget.. Harry. Harry Ma-"

"OW!" Adrian slumped over and clutched his head as he was suddenly bombarded by literally thousands of memories in a matter of seconds, each one hitting him physically like a right hook to the jaw.

"Adrian?"

Cybil leaned forward to check on him, but he quickly pulled away. "Don't touch me!"

Cybil eyed Adrian curiously for a minute, and slowly began to piece the puzzle together. "Adrian," she mumbled, "you know who I'm talking about?" And with that question, one piece to the huge puzzle of Adrian's jumbled memories had fit in.

_'Your uncle died recently... and your cousin disappeared...'_

"He's my uncle..." Adrian muttered against the horrendous headache he had recieved, and this caused Cybil to reel back slightly.

"Your uncle?" Cybil asked with a bit of shock. "So your name is..."

"Mason," he sputtered, "Adrian Mason. I dunno how, I dunno why yet either.. I just figured it out myself. I know how it sounds, I may sound crazy not being able to remember who my own uncle is but it's the truth. I dunno, just... after I've come here, rather after I heard my brother was here, everything in my head's been all fucked up." As he pronounced the first syllable in the word 'fucked' he slammed his right fist down into the surprisingly forgiving cot he was lying in, angered at the frustration he was having to remember such a simple thing, and coupled with the utter disgust he had with himself for not being able to find his brother, there wasn't any room to be scared anymore. The only thing that hit Adrian at that moment, was unabashed hatred.

"Are you okay?" Cybil asked gently, trying to be that helping hand she usually found herself being. However, it was nowhere near enough to calm Adrian down. He was practically on the brink of tears.

"My brother's missing. Just.. just let me get the fuck up and find him already." Cybil didn't know what to say in response to that. Adrian looked beat, and Adrian just had to know that no matter how frustrated with himself he was. But what could Cybil possibly say aside from that to justify him simply resting?

"I..."

It was no use. Cybil finished her sentence right after she had barely started it. And through the sound of her silence, she could hear Adrian's audible crying across from her.

"Adrian," she sighed, "you have to calm down.. you can't let this town beat you. Don't let that happen."

Adrian sniffled and reply quickly, yet he refused to look Cybil in the eye. "No... I'm not letting that happen, I just want my brother and I wanna go home... I want a normal fucking life! That's all! I want a girlfriend who will love me through the fact that I have the need to make music that would make people wanna get up and say 'Adrian Weber is a fucking god'!" He collapsed forward into Cybil's arms where she gently consoled him. He buried his head into her shoulder, muffling his cries. She reaced up and slightly brushed his messy blond mane that was peppered with red droplets of the blood that monsters spilled at his own hands.

"...Weber?"

"Huh?" Adrian tilted his head slightly.

"That's what you said your last name was if I'm not mistaken."  
  
"Yeah. That's right."

Cybil shook her head. "But I thought you just said..."

"It's the last name of my parents," Adrian cut her off, "Mason is only my uncle's last name. I dunno.. I guess I always related to him more so I wished I was Adrian Mason instead." He thought about that and immediately realized how fanatical he sounded. "Ugh, sorry." Cybil nodded the remark off.

"You can't let this town get to you... it will only hurt the chances your brother will..."

"No!" Adrian pulled back from Cybil's embrace and looked into her eyes. "No!" And with that, he sat back once more, looking down at the bedsheets underneath him. A long silence washed over the two of them, before Cybil would eventually think of something to say.

"Look. Do you have any idea where you'll be able to find your brother? Anyone at all who could or would know?"

Adrian slowly reached his hand down to his side, and into his pants pocket. When his hand reemerged, it pulled out the bronze storage room key with it. He held it up, and looked at it as if mesmerized. "Yeah," he said as he sniffled once more, "I got an idea."


	11. Torment

Chapter 11: Torment

"So who's this guy locked in the store?" Cybil asked as her and Adrian walked through the town. The town had seemingly returned to normal; the night was gone, the mesh grating that was once the street, the town could almost pass for a regular looking one if it weren't for the thick fog. He had been so busy thinking about his past with the Mason family to notice however, and he would completely ignore Cybil's harmless question in the process.

"My uncle Harry wasn't very liked by the rest of the family.. everyone mentioned how sad they were when him and his daughter had gone missing, and yet when he got back without her and instead a newborn baby in his hands, everyone despised him... I think I could go as far as to say they feared him." Adrian chuckled softly to himself and pushed his blonde hair out of his eyes. "I can remember everyone at my elementary school used to make fun of me, too. People were like, 'oh hey Adrian you're cool it's just too bad your uncle's a psycho, y'know'.." Adrian stopped walking for a moment and looked down at his feet, a guilty look slowly forming on his face. "But all that he said... everything that he said was true.... and nobody wanted to believe him. I'm not even sure I did, either."

"This all just came back to you?" Cybil asked with a cocked eyebrow.

Adrian shrugged and flashed a half smile. "Well, take comfort in knowing that I'm sure as hell not making it up. I'm telling you everything as my mind gets it back. Sad that a little while I didn't know any of this and now I can remember the smallest details of my life in that house with my brother and my parents. Can remember Harry calling every other day asking my mom if I was alright.. her and my dad got into a fight and she threatened to leave cause her husband apparently left out the fact that his brother was a loon when they were dating."

Adrian chuckled at that memory, before Cybil rubbed her forehead and asked another question. "Whose side of the family were you born on?"

Adrian shrugged. "I... I was adopted."

"Oh..." Cybil frowned. "Sorry."

Adrian nodded in acknowledgment. It was then that he remembered that before he got onto rambling that Cybil asked him a question. "I'm sorry, did you ask me something earlier?"

"Oh," Cybil said with an exasperated sigh, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand to dry it of the forming sweat of the long walk they were both sharing, "about that guy you said is locked in the store. Who is it?" Adrian didn't answer- instead, he stepped outside the front door of the corner store and turned to Cybil, dangling the bronze key in front of her.

"About to find out."

"I'll stay here," Cybil said, "just in case something or someone shows up. I've been warning the people on my shifts about this place, so someone might come down here."

Adrian nodded in agreement as he opened the front door. "Gotcha. We won't be long anyways." As soon as he finished that sentence, the door swung closed behind him and he disappeared.

"Dude?" Adrian called, cautiously walking towards the storage room door, "I got your key."

The man on the other side audibly sighed with a sense of great relief before he replied. "Thank you so much. To show my thanks, I have something here for you that I wrote. Might help you find the answers you're seeking." Adrian smiled inside. Finally, the thing he had been looking for. But his joy would soon be short lived.

"Oh," the man said as if recalling something, "do me a favor, there's a small white box behind the counter, could you get it for me and leave it by the door and slide the key under to me?"

Adrian's eyes bugged for a second before he quietly gave in to the request. "Yeah... sure." He walked behind the counter and dropped to his knees, quickly spotting the white box and lifting it up onto the counter. The box was the size of a small cube, but whatever was in it was heavy and threatening to break the box apart- the sides and the top of it had jutted out slightly, the bottom keeping it from sitting properly on the counter, being pushed from the contents inside. On the top there was a small post-it note. Adrian squinted his eyes and tried to read the erratic writing of red pen on yellow paper.

_'Found it hard to find this time. The people maintaining the Indian Runner can't get a shipment of this, so until they do, this will be the last we can sell. If this doesn't work, we'll have to postpone the surgery for another few months.' - Caleb_

Adrian tilted his head and stepped back for a moment before he picked up the box, only to realize its contents were ever so slowly leaking out of the bottom, a small pile of it on the counter where it once rested. "Drugs... fucking drugs." Adrian mumbled. White powder continued to slowly leak out, and Adrian quickly brought it over to the door, setting it down and sliding the key under the door, and as he was looking down he was surprised to find a piece of paper on the floor for him, on it were red letters scrawled haphazardly on the paper, almost with the same consistency as blood.

Adrian quickly picked the paper up and walked away while the man's voice called back to him, "Thanks again." Adrian nodded and waved his hand as if the man could see as his eyes scanned the paper in midstride.

'YOur naMe Is an aNAgraM- aND yoUr BrotHer iS DEAD.'

In the shock of what the letter said, he failed to notice the storage room door slowly open and close before it was too late. The door slammed shut just as Adrian turned around in a bolt- his right fist clenched his steel pipe as his left crumpled up the frail paper and chucked it to the ground.

"What the fuck does that mean," Adrian growled, "my brother's dead? How the hell would you know that?" He banged on the door, but got no response. "Are you listening to me!? Come the fuck out so I can beat the living shit out of your sorry ass!" Again, no response. Adrian turned the doorknob, not expecting it to budge, but to his pleasant shock the door creaked open and Adrian stepped inside.

It was as plain as a storage room could be. Foods, soda cans, the works, but no man. Instead, Adrian only saw an open manhole cover in the center of the room. And there, Adrian was hit with it again. That sheer sense of frustration and helplessness that had the indecency to toy with his emotions throughout his torturous tenure in Silent Hill. And another sick, cruel joke quickly entered his mind.

_'Those drugs... he could have got them himself if he could get out through that sewer. He was fucking with me... that whole time he was fucking with me.'_

He didn't like the idea but it was the only one he came up with. He had been played for a fool all along. The horrors of the town and the people residing in it got another one up on the poor ill-fated Adrian Mason.

He peered down into the manhole where the man presumably went. The smell of decay and death hit Adrian hard as he dropped on all fours and shined his flashlight down into the sewer. A small stream flowed past, which was the only sound that was eminating from there. Silence filled Adrian's ears- afterall this wasn't a horror movie, and there wouldn't be a quick blast of music there to warn him if anything was behind him.

And at this thought he turned around out of reflex, half glad to see nothing behind him. The other half, meanwhile, was somewhat wishing Cybil was there to back him up. She was still waiting outside for him, keeping a watchful eye on the open street around her. Adrian stood up and looked back at the now open storage room door, looking to go back and get Cybil, but if he wanted his brother back he would have to remember what that note said, and try to figure out if it was a bluff- something to keep him out of the sewers, or was it the truth.. that his brother could not be helped and he'd have no choice but to backtrack.

He only glanced at the thought before he made up his mind, though- someone as brash as him didn't need time on their side to make up a choice decision.

_'My brother's down there... and if he's dead.. I'll just make sure whoever killed him isn't following him too far behind.'_

And with that, he quickly climbed down the rusted steel ladder and made his way into the sewers. The murky, pale greenish brown water was only ankle deep, but that meant quick discomfort as Adrian's large platform boots could still only provide all of three seconds of dry feet before they were taken up by the dirty water surrounding them. Adrian cringed at the cold, wet water seeping through his sneakers, but quickly snapped out of his feelings of light torture. He was sure his brother would quickly trade off the pain he was probably feeling for some water in his shoes.

He trudged through the water with haste and found the sewer to branch off into two paths, left and right. He glanced left, and just saw another twisting path heading off there. He then turned to his right, and smiled at the door not too far out of his reach at the end of the hall, only about ten paces. He ran for it.

"Cain?!" Adrian yelled as he banged on the door. The doorknob wouldn't budge because of how rusted it was, but Adrian forced it open with a slam of his shoulder into the center of the door. Empty. "Dammit!" He turned around and headed down to the left side, not much more of a choice. But as he crossed the intersection, a hulking figure approached him, a glimmering knife clenched in its right hand.

_'Pyramid Head...'_

He stumbled off in the direction he was headed and looked around frantically. There was a door on his left, which he promptly slammed in. "Cain?! Hello? _HELLO_!?" His eyes darted around the room, but there was no signs of life. He headed farther down the path and turned left, and found a sole door at the end of the hall, and nothing else. He ran up to it, the monster behind him in no immediate hurry as it slowly stalked the human with each eerie noise its feet made in the water. Adrian got to the door and had no luck turning the doorknob. "Shit!" He tried slamming into the door with his shoulder like the previous two rooms, but it was no go, as Pyramid Head slowly turned the corner... and stopped.

Adrian turned and stared at the monster, which simply did nothing but stare back. It slowly tilted its head at Adrian, and Adrian flashed a smile, before going right back to the door, just as Pyramid Head would go back to walking after its prey. He slammed his steel pipe into the doorknob, denting it. He slammed his pipe into it a second time. And a third. And a fourth. And on the fifth occasion the doorknob was cleanly ripped off. But in the time it took to do this, Pyramid Head closed in on over half the distance between the two of them. Adrian could feel the ripples in the water that the Pyramid Head's footsteps were making as he kicked ruthlessly at the door, water splashing up around him each time he picked up his foot. He glanced over his shoulder as he continued to kick, only to take a look at the monster only feet away from him as it wound up for a swing.

_'No... no, not here...'_

_BAM_, the door, gave in, the hinges finally unable to take any more punishment, and the door flew forward, as did Adrian who practically dove into the room, causing Pyramid Head to stop its wind up and stare at the door for a long moment before it lunged its huge knife through the door which was surprisingly still standing, impaling it with one clean thrust forward. Adrian turned around and looked at the knife that easily penetrated the steel door, and noticed that the only thing keeping Pyramid Head from going after him again was the fact that it was busy trying to push the door off of its blade. This was more than enough of an incentive to get Adrian running again, but after about two paces, he stopped. The room he was in was covered in dried blood, but that was the last thing Adrian noticed. In the room was also an open doorway... and a silhouette, about the same size as Adrian, looking back at him. And then...

"Shit..." he hit his flashlight a couple times, but it was no use. Nothing but darkness was around him now- the only light from the room through the doorway the figure was standing in the middle of. Adrian could still see it, not any of its features, but he knew enough that whatever it was had to be human. But before he could take another guess as to who it was, the figure ran off to its left, out of sight. And at that moment, only one thought flashed in Adrian Mason's mind.

_'That fucker in the storage room..'_

And he immediately charged after him, fear of Pyramid Head quickly substituted with rage for the person he was chasing. Pyramid Head was easily left in the dust as it finally pushed the door off its knife and looked longingly into the doorway Adrian darted into.

The man Adrian was after wasn't fast enough to beat him, but the fact that he seemed to know the sewers and every single turn they made would keep him from being caught. He slipped in and out of rooms so quickly Adrian almost wondered if he was simply be toyed with again. But no matter what, he was going to keep up with this man if it killed him. He'd have to. Room after room, Adrian was still on him, refusing to give in, even as the thoughts began to filter into his mind.

_'Samsamsamsamsamsamsamsamsamsamsamsam.....'_

Adrian didn't let it affect him at first; he couldn't let it, he wouldn't. But slowly, his head was beginning to hurt. His running motion turned into a jog, and then a stumble. This guy was going to get away. Sam... was going to get away. "No..." he fought against the thought of it, but the pain was too much. 'Sam' seemed to sense this and he stopped in the doorway to the next room and turned around. Adrian looked up at him helplessly, his breathing heavy and ragged. He could almost sense the man feeling pity for him as he turned back around and walked into the next room, closing the door behind him. Adrian was stunned for a moment, almost on the brink of just sprawling out on the floor right then and there... but he couldn't do that. "You're not getting away..." he said as he forced himself up. He held his now beyond cramped stomach with one hand and clenched his steel pipe tight with the other as he approached the door and turned the doorknob with little effort.

The door slowly opened, and the first thing he saw was an examination table in the middle of the room. An examination table with a body on it, illuminated by the dim lightbulb that swayed back and forth. Adrian's jaw dropped in a dumbfounded expression as he took one step forward in doe-eyed amazement, and immediately slipped and fell to the ground.

"Agh!" His eyes snapped shut as his flashlight came back on at this moment. When his eyes could take the light that flashed in his face, he adjusted it so it instead lit up the rest of the room, and it was then he realized what he slipped in.

"No way..." he said as he stood back up, looking at his hands which were now covered in blood. He dropped his steel pipe as he stepped forward, and looked at the body on the table. "NO.. FUCKING.... WAY!" He ran to his brother's side, and peered over him, looking into his lifeless blue eyes that were partially covered by his messy brown hair. "NO!" He screamed, so loud that Cybil could have probably heard him. He put both hands over his brother's heart and began to push down, trying miserably to bring Cain back to life- it wouldn't happen. "Come on, you fucker, breathe!" Cain was beyond saved- Adrian didn't notice it, but the wound was in the back of Cain's head, a wound the size of a fist. Not to mention the numerous bruises and gashes all over his face, the knife wound in his stomach, and the slashes on his wrists and ankles, there was nothing to be done. This, however, didn't keep Adrian from quitting. "Come on... you're not dead, you can't be... Now come on and fucking _breathe_!" The tears were inevitable- he leaned over his brother and cried into his chest, covering his head with his arms.

"Why?!" He asked in betweem sobs. "Why did you kill my brother?" He asked to no one at all. At least no 'Sam' was around to listen. The room was empty besides him. "He didn't do anything wrong... he didn't fucking _hurt_ anybody!" He repeatedly slammed his fist into the bloodied examination table, refusing to believe that he fought all this time just to come to this. This just couldn't be real. This had to be a really bad Punk'd or something, it was all he could think of it being. Nothing like this was real... not even a kid could believe in this.

He remained there for so long Adrian lost all sense of time. In truth, he was there no longer than a half hour, but it felt like days to him. He just leaned over Cain's body, holding one of his cold hands and refusing to let go. It wasn't until a soft, soothing voice was there to console him. And the voice knew what was wrong the moment the person behind that voice saw Adrian clinging to a dead body.

"God..." Cybil said quietly as she slowly walked over to Adrian and looked down at his brother's face.

"I'm sorry," she muttered, "I am so.. so sorry.." She dared say nothing more than that. She simply waited for Adrian to say something.. anything.

And with tears in his eyes, he turned away from the horrific sight and turned somewhat towards Cybil, although not all the way. "Why?"

Cybil frowned, a look of pure sympathy etched in her face. If Adrian turned anymore, he probably would have noticed the tear that rolled down her cheek as well, which she quickly wiped away with the back of her right hand, before whispering, "I'll wait outside..." and doing just that.

And before Adrian left his brother's side, he kissed him on his bloodied forehead, leaned to an ear, and whispered, "I love you, brother.. I love you so fucking much..." and reluctantly released the grip he had on his hand before he backed himself up to the exit to meet with Cybil, who was immediately there to hug him.

"Everything will be great for you," Cybil said softly, "I promise one day.. everything is going to be just fine for you."

Adrian sniffled hard and rubbed feverishly at his eyes. "Don't make promises you can't keep..."


	12. Unreal

Chapter 12: Unreal

After a lengthy walk back up to the surface, Cybil and Adrian had managed to get back on the road where they both crashed. Both of them were battered beyond words, and it showed in both of their eyes. A police van was there to meet them with a rather muscular and imposing officer behind the wheel, shining a flashlight through the thick fog in an attempt to figure out what the two shadows coming towards him were. He smiled in relief to find it being some teenager and his superior Cybil Bennett approaching him, and quickly opened the doors to the van.

The two climbed in, Cybil in the front next to officer Atkins and Adrian quietly pulled himself into the back. He prayed the officer behind the wheel wouldn't ask him anything- he was too tired, sad, angry... every emotion he ever felt was coming out at that moment, tearing away at him.

Cybil looked in the rear view mirror to catch a glimpse of Adrian's teary, blood stained face. She frowned and looked over to Atkins before whispering something in his ear. Afterwards, she turned right back to Adrian. "You want us to save you the trip to the precinct and just take you home?" Adrian half smiled and nodded his head with the last ounce of strength he had left and melted into the surprising comfort of the seat he was slumped in. He was so out of it, so defeated, he almost didn't notice the police van turn and head back in the direction him and Cybil had came.

"Huh?" he stirred and looked around out of confusion. His eyes turned to gaze out the window next to him, and out of almost pure luck, he noticed only one thing through the fog- the rickety _'Welcome to Silent Hill'_ sign that the van soared past.

"What the hell are you doing? Take my ass home!"

And at that remark, Cybil turned around with a pair of cold eyes. Cold gray eyes. "This is your home."

"What the," Adrian said stunned, and a surge of primal fear rushed up his spine when he looked to his left to find a sickly pale corpse sitting next to him. His brother. And his jaw dropped when the corpse turned towards him right before his head started to move from side to side at practically a thousand miles an hour.

"GAH!"

Adrian shot up from the tabletop he fell asleep on. His eyes darted around frantically, and he exhaled when he realized where he was. The warm, secure precinct in Brahms. Adrian rubbed his forehead in pain and looked around in more comfortable manner, noticing he was alone in an office. He looked to his right side and through the glass windows and smiled at the sight of the numerous officers walking around just outside- Cybil and Atkins were two of them.

It was then that Adrian frowned slightly. He did want to go home, and was saddened that he'd be possibly be put through another few torturous hours of having to relive the horror he was forced to endure. All he wanted to do... all he could even think of doing at that for some reason, was call Maria. She had to have been worried, there was simply no way she couldn't have. That, and the fact that Adrian wanted to break the news about Cain himself before anyone else did, was making him suddenly wish he went home by himself.

"I know you're probably not feeling well enough to," Cybil said as she headed into her office and approached Adrian, extending a styrofoam cup to him, "but just try and drink this." Adrian nodded slightly and took a small sip of the coffee. He felt vulnerable sitting there, drenched in blood, sweat, and tears. It wasn't a feeling he enjoyed.

"This isn't going to take long, Adrian," she said assuringly, "I know you have to be feeling-"

"Don't..." Adrian cut her off coldly, yet in a surprisingly soft tone, "don't tell me how I'm feeling."

Cybil nodded and quickly apologized. "Yeah.. you're right, I'm sorry. I just want you to know though that I only need you here to answer a couple questions and you can go." Cybil then tilted her head in curiousity. "You don't have any way of getting back, do you?"

"Nope," Adrian shakily replied, "car got messed up earlier."

Cybil smiled warmly and nodded her head again. "That's alright, I'll give you a ride after this is finished, okay?" Adrian nodded his thanks in reply, but that dream... that nightmare he just had, was ringing clearly in his head. It was almost like the blaring sound of that radio, which he forgot he still had with him in his pocket. And quickly he reached into his pocket and smashed the square item on the floor, breaking it with one swift spike into the tiled ground.

Cybil eyed Adrian a bit oddly with her emerald green eyes before she shrugged and went on with the aforementioned questioning. "Okay. Starting out simple, who's closest to you and Cain? Anyone I can contact and report this to?"

Adrian thought about it for a moment. Maria was the only name that came to mind, but like before, he still wanted to be the one to comfort her first about the loss she would be going through, not some police officer she didn't know. Still, Adrian answered the question honestly. "Maria Constantine, her and Cain were engaged."

Cybil wrote the name down on a piece of paper before she looked back up at the person across from her. "And I can reach her at..."

Adrian winced. "I.. I'd like it if I got to tell Maria what happened before anyone else. I promised her to find her fiance, she'll be upset if I'm not the first one telling her what's happened."

Cybil stared blankly for a moment before she accepted what Adrian told her. "I understand. Anyway, next question, this guy who was in that storage room.. what did he look like? Got a name or anything to identify him with?"

Adrian shrugged as he tried to remember. Not much came back to him. He couldn't even remember catching one good glimpse of the man he was chasing. But he did have a name.

"Sam Nordiana," he said confidently as he took another sip of the coffee he was given. It tasted pretty good, not like the warm soda he forced himself to drink before. Cybil wrote the name down while Adrian poked at the styrofoam cup.

"And what does he look like?"

Adrian flinched at that question. "I couldn't.. get a good look at him. I can only tell you he's about my height, really."

"That's okay," Cybil replied calmly, "we got a name so it'll be a matter of time before we put a face to him." Adrian smiled on the inside. A faint glimmer of hope that justice would win was beginning to form- and to his knowledge it was the only good feeling he had all day.

"Just one more question and we'll be out of here."

Adrian smiled visibly for Cybil and voiced his approval. "Sure, what is it?"

"Well..." Cybil reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of piper, showing it to Adrian. And the happiness Adrian was feeling faded. His face went pale as he read the words on the crumpled letter that he discarded in Sam's store.

"I found this on the floor when I went inside to check on you. I don't need to get into the second part, but this anagram.. you know what he could mean?" Adrian knew what an anagram was. Taking a phrase and using the letters in that phrase to come up with something else. But what his name could have made, he had no idea. He never even tried it.

He took the paper from Cybil and looked at it, "I dunno," he shrugged as he sipped his coffee, "I honestly don't know."

Cybil seemed to debate something to herself before she slowly extended the black pen she was writing with, along with a clean sheet of paper. "Do you think you could just.." she trailed off. She felt guilty she was asking this question with what Adrian went through. And with that, she quickly pulled her hands back. "Sorry, nevermind." Adrian was upset at being asked to do such a thing as well, but he wasn't going to go and say anything about it. Cybil apologized anyway, so there wouldn't have been much of a point in debating it further. Besides, the words he wanted to hear were exactly what he heard next.

"Alright," Cybil said as she stood up out of her seat, "come on then, I'll take you home." Adrian stood up and followed Cybil out of the room, jamming the paper he had clutched in his hand into his pants pocket.

When Cybil stopped the police car outside of Adrian's house, it was about ten to midnight. The faint sound of a dog barking was all that sounded around them as Cybil reached into her pocket and pulled out a memo pad and pen. She jotted down a number, phone number to be exact, and handed the paper to Adrian. "If anything happens, just give me a call- day or night, rain or shine."

Adrian took the paper graciously. "I will, thanks." He climbed out of the car and turned to close the door when he noticed Cybil leaning towards the door to get his attention one more time.

"Tell Maria.." she paused for a moment, as if a bit uneasy by what she was going to say, "tell her I'm sorry. My job's to help people.. I can't honestly say that I helped much."

Adrian smiled. "It's okay. There's nothing else you could have done." Cybil looked down for a moment and nodded in agreement, although the sad look on her face was still there. Adrian sighed and pointed to his house. "Well, thanks.. for everything... I'm gonna go call Maria now.."

Cybil nodded and looked back out to the road. "Alright.." she said softly, "just, take care of yourself. I don't want that town to beat someone else, okay?"

"Yeah," Adrian replied, "yeah.. I will." Adrian leaned to the open door and grabbed it, but not before saying one last thing. "Goodbye, Cybil." He then closed the door, and made his way into his house.

He could hear the roar of the car driving off as he stepped into the front door, as his shaggy, white haired Pekingese ran downstairs to greet its master. It hopped up and down, making cute barking and panting noises with its tongue hanging out. Adrian couldn't help but laugh as he squatted down to pet the dog before taking the crumpled note out of his pocket and taking it with him upstairs.

Howler noisily followed Adrian into his room. He neatly made his bed which he decided he was too lazy to do when he first woke up that morning, before he sat down and looked at the note some more. His name was an anagram... anagram of what, though.. and how would someone else know that?

Sighing, Adrian grabbed a pen from his dresser and wrote his name under the note.

'Adrian Mason'

Underneath that, he slowly began to take letters and piecing them together randomly.

'Maid An Arson'

"Now that makes sense." He sighed and tried again.

'A Main Road'

He eyed that for a moment, before he realized an s and an n were still not in use. "Shit..." He shook his head and tried for a third time.

'A Roadman Sin'

"Yeah, that could work," Adrian said still puzzled, "but what the fuck does that mean?" He looked to start again. A Roadman Sin wasn't exactly a phrase that made much sense, but he'd have been willing to fall back on it if he could figure out nothing else. He wrote an S first. He the went to write the second letter when..

"What am I doing?" He sighed and forced himself to stop. He then turned around and eyed the phone near his bed. "I should be talking to Maria." He put down his pen, and it was then he noticed how dirty and bloody his hands were. "Or maybe a shower first," he said, "yeah, a shower would be nice."

He closed his eyes as the warm water washed away all the blood and dirt that he collected from the horrors of Silent Hill. Crimson found its way out of Adrian's blonde hair and down the drain. The slashes on his arm numbed, the hole in his leg was cleaned and soon the pain would disappear to the back of Adrian's mind. Whether the memories of Silent Hill would drain with the blood and tears, was unknown at that point.

"Maria?" Adrian asked as he spoke into the phone, stretched out along his bed in exhaustion. His ex girlfriend's stressed out voice replied almost instantly.

"Adrian! God, are you and Cain alright?"

Adrian's eyes snapped shut. This was it. "Yes... and no."

It stayed quiet for a long while after that. Maria was too busy fighting back tears to try and speak. But when she did, her attempt to sound alright did not go successful. "You promised you'd bring him back, Adrian." Adrian shook his head. If he was going to be scolded about this...

"I know.. I'm sorry.." he tried his best not to be upset at the rage that suddenly began to surge in his veins. Maria was yelling at Adrian as if he hadn't tried at all to save her fiance.. as if he wouldn't even save his own brother, even.

"Don't make promises you can't fucking keep," she cut in, "I told you that before, but apparently you don't listen!" Adrian's anger meter was about three quarters filled at this point. "As if I could let you get away with recording with all your friends while I'm left by myself to deal with work and college? It's not like I have anything better to do than wait around for you to come around and decide you wanna fuck!"

And if Adrian's exhaustion meter didn't weigh out the anger meter ten times over, he would have wasted no time in fighting back with her. Instead, he was simply too taken back with sorrow and fatigue, and Maria hung up the phone before he could change his mind. The only thing that was in his mind that moment, was that things were not over. He still had something to do in Silent Hill, and it consisted of one word- revenge.


	13. Evolution

Chapter 13: Evolution

Cybil sat in quietly in her home in the suburban town of Brahms. The house was still and silent except for the television that was spouting news of forest fires and murders nearby, but suddenly they were meaningless. After what she went through in Silent Hill, everything else was meaningless.

_'Why does it happen? Every time I try to help someone, I fail. Was I even cut out for this? Ugh, if I was, I don't feel like it now.'_

She went upstairs and took a cold shower before heading into her bedroom. She felt a little better now that she had all the sweat and grime washed away, but something remained. Something bothered her, but she just couldn't put her finger on it. Sighing, she reached over onto the nightstand and grabbed her CD player. She put on her headphones and when the CD player began to work, she put it to a certain track number. Maybe listening to music would help her figure out what it was.

_'Come on, Cybil.. what's this hunch you have? Please remember...'_

She reached over again, sliding a duffel bag out from under her bed. She then picked up a notebook, and opened it to the page where a blue pen stuck out. She popped off the pen cap and stuck it on the other side before writing down a name.

_'Adrian Mason'_

She stared at the name for a minute or two. And what she got out of this was the memorization of a carefree young adult who attempted to do the right thing and save his brother. She saw someone who was undoubtedly a warm hearted, humorous person who loved the people close to him very much.

_'Hmph, if only he was ten years older...'_

She pushed the thoughts away quickly. It wasn't right to think of such things after what they both had gone through. Besides, a thirtyfour year old woman going out with someone nineteen wasn't exactly the smartest thing. But this caring was different. Blonde hair, brown eyes, charming... he was like the son she never had. It sounded too good to be true...

And that's where it hit her. Cybil's eyes narrowed as she seemingly tried to shake off what come over her.

_'No,'_ she thought to herself, _'that can't be right.. how could it be? There's just no way that could be possible..'_

She climbed out of her bed for a moment and walked over to the linen closet in the hallway and opened it up, pulling out her hamper where she carelessly threw in her police uniform. She pulled out the yellow striped blue pants and reached into one of the pockets, pulling out a piece of paper. On it were two names, one female, one male.

She took the paper back into the bedroom and climbed into bed, looking at the male name on the paper and the name she wrote in her notebook.

_'Adrian Mason'  
__'Sam Nordiana'_

_'Perfect match...'_

She gazed at the two names in amazement. It couldn't be possible. There just wasn't a way in hell that it could be possible. She tried thinking it over to herself. The facts... what were the facts...

_'He heard a voice on the other side of the storage room. Never saw the face... but he saw a figure. A figure his height..' _

This was getting too confusing right away. It was so hard to piece together, all by herself anyway. She'd need some kind of help.

Taking the piece of paper, she went downstairs and next to the cordless phone by the lamp where a large phone book was. She opened it up and thumbed her way through it, looking through the last names starting with C, where she fell on the name she was looking for.

_'Constantine, Maria - 908-379-4839'_

She picked up the cordless and dialed. She knew Adrian told her not to talk to Maria right away, but this was important. And either way, she didn't know at this point whether Adrian's words were ever credible. The phone rang once. Twice. And in the middle of the third ring, she slowly hung up the phone.

_'What are you doing, Cybil?'_

She frowned at the thought of what she was going to do. She was going to call Maria, and more than likely either make herself sound crazy, or make Adrian his brother's murderer, without any extensive proof.

_'He seemed so distraught... so.. shocked. He just couldn't have done it...'_

It was too weird for her, way too weird. But if she didn't piece everything together, more weirdness could very well begin.

---

Approximately three months passed since Adrian's day in Silent Hill. And ever since then, he was a busy man. He forgot all about Maria, all about the anagram, all about Cybil.. all that was left was the need to get his revenge. But even though he needed his revenge, he wasn't taken over by it. He knew going back to Silent Hill so quickly would get him killed. Before he could go back, he'd have to be ready. And to get ready, he took every class him and people he knew could lead him to.

Today was his first day at the shooting range in Portland. Before that, he had already started courses in kickboxing, special forces training, and swordplay. He even went out of his way to buy his own katana to practice with. He was a different man. Silent Hill took its toll on Adrian Mason. And in a way, that was surprisingly positive.

For three months, he grew quite a bit. His lanky six foot, hundred and thirtyfive pound frame soon turned to six foot one inch and a hundred and seventy pounds. The training he was taking was making him tougher, so tough that he forgot the scars he brandished on his right arm, his left leg, and of course the crescent on his stomach. His eating habits improved and his tendency to throw everything up toned down considerably.

But in return, the nice Adrian Mason was no more. This one was more or less a ruthless man who just wanted what he was training for. His blonde hair was replaced with a sleek black, his dark brown eyes looked blacker and sported a colder stare than ever. And it was unknown to him that every time he was out, Cybil came to the house to look for him. Cybil went there about ten times in those three months, but no luck. For all she knew, Adrian was avoiding her on purpose. But today, she would get that opportunity to find answers.

At the shooting range, he ran into someone he immediately noticed in the panel next to him. "John?"

John Harrington was the drummer in his band. He had directed Adrian to the shooting range just a week ago, over a talk about women and their tendencies at blowing things out of proportion. One woman they talked about in particular was none other than Maria Constantine.

"Hey! How's it goin' man?" Adrian shrugged as he turned and plugged the target across the room, three bullets hitting the target in the chest area, one hitting the left side of the head.

"How do you think?" Adrian asked as he fired another shot that found its mark in the head as well.

John stared over at Adrian's target and cringed. Maybe it wasn't too wise to stop by here today afterall. "I dunno," he sighed, "don't talk to you often anymore.. you're so busy with all this shit that you don't even record anymore. I thought you liked doin' that stuff."

Adrian emptied the clip of his handgun and put it down, taking off his earmuffs as well. "I did. But I've told you already, I don't have time for it."

"Why, though?" John replied. "You haven't told us anything about this whole thing. Why are you doing all this? You've changed, man. And considering you're one of the best singers I know, I worry."

"Oh," Adrian said with a sigh, "because you'd benefit from having me as your singer, you worry. Gee thanks, I feel loads better now." John didn't reply after that. He simply frowned, and Adrian sucked his teeth before he put his earmuffs back on and reloaded his pistol.

"You really know how to use that thing, huh?" John asked as Adrian sent several more shots into the head and the heart of a new target.

"Yeah it's like riding a bike, once you learn you never forget how." John slowly nodded and started to fire his own weapon. "You don't need to worry about me," Adrian had continued, "I just need to learn to take care of myself."

"Oh.." John mumbled, "cause of your brother, right?"

"Huh?" Adrian couldn't hear him over the shots being fired around them. This caused John to yell again.

"Cause of your brother, right?!"

"Oh!" Adrian nodded. "I guess you could say that!"

About twenty minutes later, him and John left the shooting range and headed into the parking lot. "Want a ride?" John asked, and Adrian nodded in thanks. "Yeah, sure." They climbed into John's posh silver sports car and buckled up before the car took off.

"How are you paying for all this?" John asked curiously. "I mean, it's just that outside of recording you've just been training, right?"

"That's right..." Adrian nodded and looked out of the window next to him, entranced by the scenery outside. The changing colors of the leaves, the sun gleaming... the end of summer. "Me and Maria split Cain's belongings.. all of that is going into my classes."

"Yeah... but is it worth it, dude?" Adrian turned his head and glared at John. What kind of question was that? "I mean Cain was a cool dude, no denyin' that.. but you gotta realize, man, what if this shit doesn't pay off? You're gonna be broke on your ass if you keep this up."

"Maybe," Adrian replied softly, "but it'll all be worth it later."

"But why?" Adrian didn't answer.

"Look," John said worriedly, "don't do anything stupid.. I know I'd be pissed if my bro died and everything... but don't let this eat you alive, you hear me? Would Cain really want you to go through all of this for him?"

"Maybe not..." Adrian shrugged, "..but he'd sure as hell appreciate it."

John nodded. Couldn't argue that one. "I guess he would." He paused for a moment before he glanced at Adrian. "You never told me what happened to him." Adrian didn't answer this question either, and John couldn't really blame him. Sighing, he leaned forward and turned on his car stereo, playing the CD in the CD player.

_'Is this what I get for learning to speak  
__For opening eyes, and digging in deep?  
__Is this what I get for being reborn- from the norm?'_

Adrian smirked at the song and leaned back in his seat, trying to relax.

_'I don't wanna shine  
__Light will make us blind  
__I don't wanna feel unreal  
__What have I become?  
__Born under the sun  
__Planets will converge for you'_

He looked outside the window next to him and sighed. Three long months of training would pay off, he would make sure of it.

_'Pushing and grinding, is twisting my mind frame  
__El tempo que pesa nos tumba la mesa  
__Y ahora que es nuestro, mi vida te apuesto  
__BET.. MY... LIFE'_

"Turn here?" John asked as they came to an intersection. Adrian looked around in front of them for a second before he nodded his head.

_'I don't wanna shine  
__Light will make us blind  
__I don't wanna feel unreal  
__What have I become?  
__Born under the sun  
__Planets will converge for you'_

Adrian sat back and sighed, closing his eyes for a brief moment. But in that moment, he jumped slightly and opened his eyes. The whole time Adrian was in that dark room with his dead brother flashed right before his eyes. It did that for three whole months. Not even a good wink of sleep came to him in those three months. But eventually, Adrian told himself, eventually it would be worth it. It would all be worth it.

_'I don't wanna feel  
__I don't wanna feel..  
__I don't wanna feel  
__Unreal'_

By the time the song ended, Adrian was back to his house. He looked over to John, and shook his hand. "Thanks for the ride, man.."

John softly nodded in reply. "No prob, man. Anytime." Adrian climbed out and John took off, allowing Adrian to head up the front steps and inside his home. He was so quick to get inside, he missed the police car parked right outside the house.


	14. Trust

Chapter 14: Trust

Adrian failed to notice the police car parked not too far away down the road and instead walked up the front steps to his home. and found that the front door was slightly ajar.

_'You gotta be kidding me. You really gotta be kidding me.'_

He frowned at the thought of a burglar inside his house. Who would go all the way out here to rob a place that practically had nothing of value inside?

He glanced around to see if John was still close by, but he was long gone; now only a distant screech of tires against dirt. But what eased him a bit was the police car not too far away.

_'Well, at least I can get help if it is a burglar..'_

He turned around and slowly pushed the door open, and quickly jumped back at what leapt into his arms.

"Whoa," he said in an almost Keanu Reeves type manner as the look of fear on Adrian's face quickly turned to relief. He smiled and ruffled his dog's fur before setting him down in the doorway where Howler trotted off through the living room and into the kitchen as his master closed the front door. Adrian's eyes followed the dog for a moment, but they were quickly drawn away when he saw a figure with his back to him, looking down at something.

"Er," Adrian scratched his head and flinched at the uniform, "is there something wrong, officer?" The officer turned around, and a warm smile crossed her face as she revealed the item in her hand to be a picture frame, a picture of Adrian and Maria inside of it.

"Hi, Adrian!" Cybil said in a cheery tone. Almost a little too cheery. Adrian stepped back for a moment- it only took a second to realize who it was greeting him, that was no problem. The real problem was wondering why she was there, or better yet why she was grinning at him.

"Oh.. Cybil, hi." Adrian waved slowly before he stepped further inside his home. Upon further inspection of Cybil's features, he noticed the picture frame she had rather tightly clenched in her hands- almost as if reluctant to put it down. "Uh, what are you doing?" He asked, keeping a close eye on the frame. Cybil followed Adrian's eyeline and noticed him looking at the object she was holding. She then flashed a smile, and a look of guilt quickly washed over her as she put it down on top of the bookcase where she found it.

"I'm sorry," she said, "was just admiring this home. Very neatly kept." Adrian flinched again. Cybil was nice, at least he remembered her to be nice, but in his memories she was never _that_ nice.

"So," Adrian stammered, "what are you doing here?" Cybil looked as if an epiphany popped in her head. And with that, her smile grew wider. From ear to ear.

"Oh that's right," she replied, "I wanted to show you something." She then reached around to her back and pulled something off of it. A shotgun. But the thing that got Adrian was the fact that there was no shotgun on Cybil's back when he walked in.

"Yeah," Adrian said, looking the shotgun over, "that's cool."

"You think so?" Cybil said as she smoothed out her hair with her right hand, her left one clutched around the barrel of her shotgun. She then spoke again, with a much more sinister tone to her voice. "Want to have a closer look?"

Adrian stared at Cybil for a moment, before he took a rather minute step back. "Nah," he said, "I don't think that's necessary." He waved a hand, motioning for Cybil to put the weapon away, but this only seemed to get her more anxious to 'show' him her gun. She lifted the shotgun with her left hand alone and aimed it directly at Adrian's face. That minute step Adrian took quickly turned into a leap backwards for the front door. His right hand reached around for the doorknob, too nervous to know that the doorknob was digging against the small of his back.

"Heh, I'm sorry," Cybil said, putting the gun down, "I made you nervous." Adrian nodded his head to open his mouth, the words 'yeah you made me pretty fucking nervous' about to escape his lips when Cybil cut him off. "I know something that's going to make you -really- nervous." And with that, she gave the barrel a pump, before sticking said barrel in her mouth.

"SHIT!" Adrian yelled as he reached to grab the shotgun out of Cybil's hands, but it was too late. A loud, thunderous _BOOM_, sent Adrian back on the seat of his pants as Cybil's practically headless body crumbled backwards onto the now reddened carpet floor. "Oh _God_ why the hell'd you do that, Cybil?!" He screamed as he rushed forward and looked the body over. Her face was no longer recognizable. One eye was blasted out of the socket, the other dissected by the many shards of buckshot. Speckles of tooth littered the ground, a couple digging into Adrian's hands as he stared wide-eyed at her on all fours. The shotgun fell over to the side, the barrel drenched in red and soft tissue. Hair, still attached to the scalp, was scattered all over, given a red makeover as well no less.

Adrian tried to register what just happened as his dog wandered into the living room and looked innocently at the horrible sight. It tilted its head in confusion, before it quietly walked off upstairs, leaving Adrian by himself to piece together the event that just played out right before his eyes.

_'God, Cybil, why'd you do that... Why-'_

He then clutched his ears. A ringing noise, not exactly overpowering, but an annoying noise none the less, had started to scrape deep into his nerves, forcing him to collapse amidst the horrific sight and pass out.

He then woke up, finding himself yawning in the comfort of the passenger seat to John's silver car.

"Man, you really should get some more sleep," John said, "you sure look like you need it." Adrian looked around in confusion as the end of Ill Nino's 'Unreal' played on the car stereo. Was he dreaming again?

He looked to the side, out of the window he was slumped against, noticing he was right outside his house. He turned nervously towards John and smiled, nodding his head. "Yeah.. yeah, maybe I should." Not wanting to spark a conversation, he quickly climbed out of the car and scratched his head before turning to close the door. But before he could, John leaned over towards him and said one last thing.

"Take care of yourself," he said slowly, "don't want you getting in any trouble now." Adrian smirked and shook his head.

"Well I'm not exactly Scott Weiland."

"Man, stop ripping on my idol and just go." John laughed and Adrian closed the car door. They both waved to eachother, and then the car was gone, now only a distant screech of tires against dirt. Just like before.

Adrian slowly walked up the front steps and approached the door, noticing that it was slightly ajar. Just like before.

_'God, please don't let it be there...'_

He turned his head slowly, knowing what to expect next, but he prayed it wouldn't show this time, but it did. A typical police car, not too far down the road. "Shit."

He slowly opened the door and peered inside, and immediately greeting him was Howler who jumped right into his arms. So far, his dream was ready to become a reality.

"Don't scare me like that..." Adrian said in a stoic manner as he set the dog down and stepped inside. He followed the dog with his eyes, watching as the dog headed off into the kitchen. When he turned to the heart of the living room, there was Cybil, the same way he first saw her in the dream- her back to him, looking down at something. That something she revealed to be a picture frame.

She turned around and set it on the bookcase where she found it. "So that's Maria, right, Sam?"

She pointed to the picture in the frame, and Adrian nodded ever so slowly. "Yeah... it is." Cybil smiled slightly, but something about her wasn't right. She wasn't the creepy kind of cheery Cybil from his daydream. It was at that moment he had realized something. "And... you just called me Sam.. why?"

---

"No! That's not fucking true!" Adrian slammed a fist on the dining room table in response to the paper that Cybil laid out in front of him. Him and Sam were not the same person. It was impossible. Physically and mentally, it just -had- to be impossible. Afterall, how could he have been chasing himself? Or did he even chase himself at all? Maybe it was just a dream like the one he just had? He didn't know what to believe anymore. He thought he could believe in himself, but the irrefutable evidence laid upon him changed all that.

"I'm not.. there's just no way... that's not the fucking truth and you know it!" Cybil sat back in one of the dining room chairs- seemingly unaffected by Adrian's outburst. "Why come to me with this now? Huh?"

"I tried to reach you prior to today," Cybil replied calmly, "but you've never been home. And you've never called me."

"So that's automatically my fault?" Adrian snapped back as Cybil ran a finger along the rack of samurai swords in the middle of the dining room table- she seemed a bit freaked out by this. Adrian changed a lot since she'd last seen him.

"What are you planning to do?" She asked softly.

Adrian, taken back by her quiet tone, replied in an equally soft manner. Between Cybil's composed nature and her not blowing her brains out yet, he no longer saw the need to yell. "You haven't figured it out yet?" Adrian's intentions were clear. He obviously hadn't forgot about Silent Hill. And he didn't seem like he was just going to sit down and have a conversation about it over a beer. Yet, as much as she couldn't blame him, she couldn't let him go through with anything, either.

"I think you need to think this through some more, Adrian.." she mumbled, and Adrian glared back at her.

"What happened to calling me Sam? You think I'm him, afterall."

"I didn't mean to-"

"You didn't mean to what? Offend me? Scare me? I'm very, _very _far beyond that now, Cybil. Far fucking beyond the point of being offended and scared. So far that it's hilarious." He sighed and shook his head. He knew where this conversation was going to be led. "Look, I can tell you're going to say I can't go back to Silent Hill, but I've already made my decision. Lord knows you'd let no one stop you from going back there if someone you loved died there." Cybil turned away and folded her arms across the dining room table. A sure fact that Adrian was right.

"What else do you want me to say, Adrian?" Cybil shook her head. She seemed really upset at the direction this conversation was headed. "I probably would do that... because it would be my job to investigate, not yours."

Adrian chuckled grimly and shot a gaze at Cybil. "And all you've done between then and now was point the finger at me for killing my own brother. How you can do that and keep a straight face is beyond me, but then again I'm sure you've had to give people a lot of bad news from your days as a police officer, huh?"

"Okay," Cybil replied as she slowly turned back towards Adrian. He officially crossed the line with that last remark of his. "You do not tell me how to do my job. If you do not like how I do my job, you can come join the force and see if you can do it better. Because you're not the only person who lost someone he loved. Everyone goes through that, Adrian. It hurts. But killing someone else is not going to make it any better. We don't even know anything about this Sam other than this thing with your names, which I admit, isn't even concrete evidence yet.. but it's too much of a coincidence to just throw away, can you at least admit that?"

Adrian took in what Cybil said, and shrugged. "I guess I can, as long as you admit to me that it's impossible I was chasing my goddamn shadow through a sewer system, and talking to another human being on the other side of a door, I guess me admitting that the anagram business isn't just a coincidence is fine."

Cybil nodded in agreement. "I do admit that's impossible, but I'm not exactly sure that happened."

Adrian stared at Cybil, and a look of frustration hit him hard. "God, Cybil... what the hell do you want me to tell you? I heard what I heard and I saw what I saw! You damn sure weren't there and you damn sure can't tell me different."

"So what else am I supposed to go on here, Adrian?"

"Go on your fucking gut, I dunno! Damn, you've been in Silent Hill before, haven't you? You should know none of this bullshit makes sense, and if it has it damn well hasn't with me in it. Shit.. if after trying to help me you turn around and stick me for my brother's murder, my own brother who I fuckin' went out of my way and risked my life to look for... wow." He rubbed his forehead and collapsed in a chair. A ringing was beginning to echo in his head. Not just a ringing, though.. it was the same ringing from his daydream.

The first thing that hit him was the yelling and screaming had finally got to him. Maybe he was just losing it. But Cybil tapped him on the shoulder, and those thoughts were long gone.

"Are you going to answer that?" Cybil asked as she pointed to the ringing phone in the living room. Adrian looked up at the phone and slowly nodded, even though he didn't really seem all there yet.

He stood up and made his way to the phone, picking it up and lifting it to his ear. "Hello?" He got no answer. Simply silence. No... not silence. Something was on in the background... a television or a radio. "Hello?" Adrian asked again. Someone had to be there, but still no one replied. And the first thing that popped into his head was...

_'Maria...'_

The phone fell out of Adrian's hand. And with the thunderous crash the phone made on the floor, he stood up and ran for the door.

"Come with me!" He called back to Cybil as he threw the front door open. Cybil stood up and slowly followed, obviously confused.

"What's going on? Who was that?"

"Dammit just get me to Maria's house! Please!"


	15. Confession

Chapter 15: Confession

Cybil's police car roared off down the dirt road towards its destination. Adrian yelled the directions as he uneasily glanced back and forth between Cybil and the road ahead of them. Lots of trees as far as the eye could see, all of them beginning to lose a couple of their leaves with the change of the seasons. But it was something Adrian was used to seeing, considering he pretty much lived out in the sticks. But something was different about the place in autumn. It didn't look as cheerful and beautiful as it used to maybe three months before.

Leaves and dirt were kicked up as Cybil brought her car's speed up a notch, to a good seventyfive mph. Growing completely unnerved by the only sounds around him being the leaves, he reached forward and turned on the radio, and 'Perfect Self' by Stereomud was what played. A song Adrian knew all too well.

_Settle down you all  
__Can't you hear the footsteps down the hall?  
__You're waiting for the scream of your conscience call  
__And everyone's just dying_

Adrian quickly reached back over to the radio and turned the tuner off as quick as he did on. But still, the song refused to leave his head. It was now stuck there, like one of those annoying but catchy commercial tunes that you just can't shut out no matter how hard you try. And the harder you try, the louder it seems to get.

_'Get out of my head...'_ he tried hard not to break down in the car, _'please get out of my head and leave me the hell alone...'_

_What the fuck is wrong?  
__I said that I would always find my way back home  
__Now everyone I love has been left alone  
__And everyone's just dying_

Adrian rushed out of the car the moment it stopped out of Maria Constantine's home, but from the very second he did he knew something was terribly, terribly wrong. And that pain in his stomach was slowly beginning to return. The song in his head refused to leave, and it got much louder inside of Adrian's head when he rushed through the front door that had been ripped off of its hinges.

"Maria..." he mumbled at no higher volume than a whisper- he had a feeling he wouldn't get a reply either way. Cybil followed into the home behind him and quietly tried to get in front of him, as if to protect him in case anything was upstairs. This plan was quickly thwarted however when Adrian forced her out of his way and bolted up the flight of stairs and pushed open the door to Maria's bedroom- and was reduced to pure indifference.

_It's you and I  
__Begging for life  
__It's you and I  
__Seems like in death  
__We all become our perfect self  
__Last chance to pray  
__And rid ourself of the pain_

He stared with a blank look on his face at the room around him. He almost slipped and fell from the slickness of the wood floor, rather the blood that had spilled all over it. Once he kept his balance, though, he could do nothing but stare. It was almost as if it absolutely could not be real. The room was drenched in blood. Walls, floor, ceiling, every object in the room given a red makeover. It was too sick and twisted to be true.

Adrian reached up slightly and rubbed his scalp as he felt something tiny drop on his head. He brought his hand down, and saw that his fingertips were now bloodied as well. He turned to his left ever so cautiously- the bed was on his left, and he did not like the idea of turning to look at it. But he came to find Maria, and no matter how minute the chance was that she was alive, he had to make sure. Even if that putrid stench of death was hung in the air. That sickening smell of decay that reminded him more of Silent Hill with each inhalation he made.

_Seems like in death  
__We all become our perfect self  
__Last chance to pray  
__And rid ourself of the pain_

She was far from being helped. Adrian quickly looked down, and decided to trail his eyes on her from the bottom up- somehow that made it a little bit easier for him to take. Her right foot was over her left, both bare, and a single large nail impaled them both to the bed underneath. Numerous rips were in her skin tight blue jeans and blood seeped out of each rip- all of them presumably from lashings, at least that's what it looked like. A large spear impaled her through the stomach, and the point had left out of the bottom of the bed and stuck in the wooden floor. Her neck was sliced open from one large gash that went from ear to ear. Her arms were outstretched and unmovable as her hands were also impaled to the bed by nails, one for each. But to top it all off, and the most sickening of all to Adrian- her sad and innocent green eyes were missing from their sockets.

_Help comes when I don't even want it  
__Do you really believe that I need it?  
__Seems like in death, I'm alive  
__Help comes when I don't even want it  
__Do you really believe that I need it?  
__Seems like in death, I'm alive_

The song continued to play in his head, like some twisted music box that refused to let its song end so easily. Adrian was in too much of a shock however to be effected by that any longer. He was too busy blankly registering the fact that the last person he truly, in his heart, had ever loved, was actually gone. His family, his brother... and now Maria. How else could things get worse? If he were to die next, he would have welcomed it at this point. No.. not before his revenge. That was now before anything and everything. But wait... something caught his eye.

_Seems like in death, I'm alive..._

He further inspected the spear stuck through his ex's gut, and found something else had been ripped up from it. A small picture. The middle of it was poked out but still hung to the picture by a thread. He reached up slowly to grab it, and did so with a gentle touch that way he didn't rip the picture in two. He then slowly brought it up off the spear it was attached to, before he turned to leave the room- only to bump into Cybil. Who just caught that smell of death herself.

Cybil stayed quiet as she stared at the body, almost in the same stone like manner that Adrian did before her. No words would have been able to describe the utter disguist she was feeling anyway. Her deep blue eyes illustrated enough torture.

While she gazed in disbelief at the barbaric sight before her, Adrian silently pulled up a rolling chair and sat down in it to inspect the picture. It was a picture of her and Cain as he thought it was-

No, it was a picture of her and Adrian. One of the very first ones they took together for that matter. He couldn't bring himself to smile at it, though. All he could do was blink, and even that felt like it took every muscle in his body to do. He then flipped the photo over to look at the back, and his eyes then showed a hint of feeling. Confusion, as he glanced a the letters.

_'IVOU'_

It was then that he realized he had been transfixed on the photo with the middle jutted out of sight. He frowned at his own stupidity before he pushed the center back into place, and was surprised at what the letters spelled out then.

_'I Love You'_

And at that moment, Adrian exhaled deeply. He felt his chest slump forward as his jaw dropped. It had to be a nightmare. None of this could have been true. It was just too harshly real to be. No way. If Adrian wished for a single time to wake up from such madness and find that it was a dream, this would have been that time.

But unfortunately for him, this time it was no dream. Not something that could simply be taken back. Nothing could be done now but cry, and that was too hard to be possible at the moment. Adrian taught himself to be tough. To be prepared. Ironically enough for him, though, nothing could have prepared him for the sight of his mutilated ex girlfriend. He was so blindsided that it furthered his silent insistence that it was only a dream. It had to be. No logical explanation in tow. This just could not be real.

_'No one in the world we live in is so cruel. It's just not possible in a real world...'_

Adrian kept telling himself that in his mind as he leaned forward and buried his shaking head in his hands- as if shaking his head enough would take everything away and make it all a dream. But a jarring thud would remind him that this was, indeed, reality.

The thud came from Cybil- her eyes widened as her legs simply buckled underneath her and forced her onto the seat of her pants. Right on the blood soaked floor. The fact that she just got blood all over her didn't matter- it was the fact that it was blood from a woman she could have warned before, but she chose not to. As far as Cybil was concerned, it was her own blood she had slipped and fell in. Only she was bled through someone else.

Cybil turned to Adrian almost as if to quickly apologize, but as her mouth opened to speak she fell quiet. Adrian wasn't in any better shape than she was. And she wouldn't have wanted to hear anyone apologize to her at such a time. So instead of doing that, she stood up, ignoring the blood on her pants and hands, and ambled over to the dead body on the bead. She then firmly gripped the large spear that Maria was stuck to, and with one determined tug, the spear cleanly left her body with a gutwrenching _shloop_-like noise.

Adrian momentarily looked up to see where the noise came from, and saw Cybil take the spear and place it flat next to Maria's corpse. He wanted to yell at Cybil not to do anything, but he was far too drained of his emotions to do such a thing. He just went back to shaking his head, still holding onto the belief that he would wake up from this dream any minute. Just as Cybil left the room for a moment.

When she came back, she had a blanket with her, presumably from one of the other bedrooms. She headed over and carefully, neatly placed the blanket over the dead body, shielding Adrian's eyes from the horrid sight. Cybil turned to Adrian, and then she was barely able to even whisper the words, "I'll just be downstairs," before she left the room and closed the door behind her. Adrian didn't even notice the inaudible click of the door closing, he simply stood up to head over to Maria's bed and sat down over the edge of it.

He gripped the lump in the bed sheets where Maria's hand was- as cold as it was through the blanket. But it was when with his other hand he put the ripped picture over her chest that he broke down.

"I just... I just wanted to say..." he cried. It took at least a minute for him to get those five simple words out of his mouth in between sobs, before he finally continued his sentence, "I was never able to say... how much I hated you."

It pained him to say that sentence to a dead person- a dead person he once dated no less, but he obviously needed it out of his system. But that wasn't all he had to say. He took a deep breath and tried to keep from shaking before he continued to speak, voice cracking every chance it got to. "I hated you for leaving... you just didn't want to care about my dreams, and were so... so conceited. So many times I, I had the thought that you only dated me because I was going to be famous..."

The next sentence was so brutal for him to admit, he said it in extremely short fragments- too torn up inside to say it in a single coherent line, "but it was... was just now that I.. had realized... looking at.. this picture... you did love me... and I just couldn't remember." He leaned forward and cried unabashedly, forehead pressed against Maria's- the only part of her left uncovered by the blanket between her and Adrian.

"And I remembered you left cause you were just afraid... you were so afraid.. that I believed you didn't deserve me.. and you left to save yourself the heartbreak... of me cheating on you... you were too unsure of yourself to realize.. I never would have done that to you... I hated you because of myself. My head was twisted up, I fucked it up... I fucked it all up, it was my fault."

"I hated you... but now I know.. I should have loved you more than I did. I let you down, Maria... I just wish you were awake to hear me... I love you, oh God I love you so much..." He rubbed his forehead before he leaned up and gently pressed his lips to Maria's forehead and stood up. It would be the last time he'd ever see her. Just like the last time he saw Cain was three months ago. He could remember the pain he felt from it. What it did to him on the inside. And he could remember then, he promised he'd have revenge. This time... he couldn't promise that. He couldn't promise he'd be willing to be by Cybil's side, either. Because if there really was a God out there.. if there really was someone watching over him... he would _see_ that Adrian got that revenge. All by himself.

Maria's death took the pain Adrian felt over Cain, and amplified it a good ten times over. There would be no remorse, no turning back. And as he lifted the sheet from Maria's head to reveal her eyeless face, he noticed something he again, mentally yelled at himself for not noticing sooner. Slowly, he reached down by Maria's neck, and lifted up the rosary from around it. He clutched it in one hand and stared at it mesmerizingly, before he put it around his own neck, and firmly said four last words before he went downstairs.

Now three months before, Adrian never believed in a God. It just wasn't him. But after his brother's death and the death of his ex, he couldn't see them in eternal sleep. They were in a better place. They were being watched. And this feeling gave those four words Adrian spoke something extra to hold on to.

"God... please give me strength."


	16. Believe

Chapter 16: Believe

"It's funny. Funny how just one simple event can change your outlook on how life is handled. Before this day.. I didn't believe in any other supreme being other than myself. But now... I don't know."

"Why do you think that is?"

"I guess.. I guess I just don't want to believe that Maria and Cain are simply sleeping. Just to know that they're somewhere else and that they're okay.." Adrian trailed off. He started the conversation to an unaware Cybil once he reached the foot of the staircase leading down to the living room. Cybil had stood in the front doorway, waiting for Adrian to come down as she looked outside and tried to admire the fact that the sun was out. But after finding such a butchered dead body... the body of a human being who more than likely did not deserve the grisly fate they endured, it was hard to simply turn away from it.

Adrian's first few words made Cybil's stomach tighten into knots. _'It's funny'. _

_'What could possibly be funny about finding a loved one dead. Not even dead... tortured would be more accurate, and that couldn't begin to describe the suffering that poor woman must have had to go through.'_

But then the topic was brought to religion, and Cybil sighed. Being reborn after her first venture into the foggy town, she was initially glad to hear someone find their faith in God. And on the flip side of things, she was sickened by it. This simply put, was not the time to be treading such ground. So many people die because of their religion every day. And she, of all people, seen more than enough there to know that the 'God' that the people in Silent Hill worshipped was... simply nothing more than inexplicably evil. Was it really so important to bring religion up then? Cybil definitely dared not to say right then and there- Adrian was hurt, and so was she. Movies normally showed main characters in indifference when a friend was killed. This was no movie. And if it was, it would have been humanly impossible to do nothing more than act saddened by the loss that was dealt to the two of them. And Cybil didn't even know the woman.

"I just refuse to believe that they're only sleeping and that they're all alone." He paused momentarily before he gulped out another sentence. "I don't want to die alone."

Cybil frowned at this and stepped forward, putting a hand on Adrian's shoulder. "You won't die alone."

Adrian groaned and managed to elicit a chuckle, much to Cybil's surprise. "Of course I will... I'm believing in something that isn't real." Cybil slowly withdrew her hand, letting it fall back to her side. "The only thing that's real about religion is the people who make things happen for themselves. They go out everyday and speak their beliefs, but they do it in the name of their god or gods. People don't do things for themselves anymore. Life is so short, and people waste their lives on things that, if they are indeed existent, think they are so important that they can't give signs of their presence. And that, is why this is all so funny."

"But you said you believe in God now," Cybil said unamused, "so why are you talking about it this way?"

"I already told you," Adrian replied plainly, "because there's no way someone is so cold to have someone's life end and have them without a place to live on. And if there is a God like that, then fuck him. But if so many people are convinced that they pray to saviors.. I guess I have no choice other than to believe in the fact that this God is a savior."

"I..." Cybil stammered, stunned. She was in disbelief that the two of them were actually getting into this conversation in the first place. Afterall, there was a dead body lying upstairs. "I don't think I can continue this conversation, Adrian."

Adrian scratched his head as a frown came across his face. "Why?" He protested. Cybil didn't answer right away. In fact, she didn't answer at all. Adrian shook his head and walked past her into the heart of the living room, plopping down into a pristine white couch, mumbling. "Bitch."

Cybil's head whirled in the direction that Adrian ambled to, and she disgustedly put her hands on her hips. "What? What did I do?"

"You wanna know what you did?" Adrian turned around to glare right back at Cybil. "Nothing. You did absolutely nothing. Wanna know how I know that?" Before Cybil could so much as mouth a reply, Adrian answered the question for her. "There's a _dead body_ upstairs, Cybil. More than likely from a killer you could have caught months ago, if you weren't busy pointing the fucking finger in _my_ direction! Am I right, Cybil? Tell me I'm right, because you have no authority and no reason to tell me otherwise."

Cybil reeled back as if she were slapped in the face. And in a way she was. But everything she was told was the truth, and she knew it. And it hurt that she wasn't exposed to that truth until right then and there, and not three months ago like it should have been. "You... you're right." Cybil nodded slowly, and in this she admitted her faults. "You're exactly right. But what can we do now?"

Adrian turned his head away from Cybil, almost as if he was annoyed that Cybil didn't know the answer to that question. "-I'm- going to Silent Hill. You just don't bother me. Better yet, don't come along at all, this isn't your problem. You've made that dreadfully clear enough all on your own."

Cybil sighed. "Well how are you gonna get back there then?"

Adrian laughed and retorted grimly. "That's not of your concern."

Cybil shook her head, growing frustrated. She knew she messed up, she didn't need it rubbed in. "I can give you a ride. And it'll be safer if we both go together."

"No shit," Adrian grumbled as he stood up, "but no thanks." He sneered and made his way past Cybil and to the front door, only for Cybil to grab him gently by the arm.

"You have no other way to get back there, Adrian.."

Adrian yanked his arm away and stepped outside. "I'll walk it then." And when he turned and walked down the front stairs, Cybil could tell Adrian wasn't joking, either. With no other choice, she chased after him. "Adrian!"

Sighing, he eventually stopped. She wasn't going to let him go it alone and he knew it. He refused to turn around, however, even as Cybil continued to speak to him. "I know you're upset. But you're talking suicide if you go there by yourself, walking no less.

Adrian quickly defended himself, but he still did not turn around. "What does it matter? I got out of that town, now look at me. Do I look like I haven't fallen into that six foot deep hole already?" He then turned slightly, although he refused to look Cybil in the eye. His reply to her was more than enough to express his emotions anyway. Cybil sighed.

"Okay." She didn't give any further requests. It would all be a waste either way, considering Adrian was still set on his decision. Adrian turned around completely at this, just in time to watch Cybil make her way back into the house. She closed the front door behind her and immediately sank down to the floor, leaning back on the door. Everything was now out of her hands, at least it felt that way. What more could she do to help someone who didn't want to be helped? Nothing. And for those next few minutes, she did just that.

She didn't seem to be close to crying, although she wouldn't have hated herself if she did. It had been awhile since someone had stepped into Silent Hill on her watch, and this one person alone had given her enough problems to make up for the last fifteen years. And even though it hadn't brought her to tears, it gave her the hint that she was going to fail again, just like she did when she was unable to rescue Harry's daughter. And with that thought, there was no more reason to stay in Maria Constantine's house.

Standing up, she slowly turned and pulled the door open. But upon looking down, she was surprised to see Adrian sitting on the stoop, head in his hands as if he were ashamed he didn't get to walking like he claimed he would. But if that wasn't it, it was probably the two words he mumbled after Cybil softly closed the door behind her. "Help me."

He looked back up at Cybil, and frowned. "I want to kill Sam. I want to kill that pyramid headed fuck. I need this. I need this so I don't feel like I did nothing after this is all over. Help me... please, help me."

---

An unnerving silence developed in the police car as Cybil concentrated on the road ahead of her. She sighed slightly and flared her nostrils, before pointing a finger in the direction of the glove compartment. Without her saying a word, Adrian opened it up for her, and there he revealed a Walther P38. Adrian recognized it immediately- it was one of the more advanced guns in the German army when it was introduced back in 1940. He knew all of it's specs off the top of his head, like he did for several other handguns. Cybil spoke as Adrian picked up the weapon to check its weight. "It was my father's."

Adrian held the gun in the palms of his hands as he shyly looked over at Cybil. The gun looked pretty old. And although it was made obvious by the weapon's numerous scratches on the barrel and the stock, the look on Cybil's face said it all. Still, Adrian said nothing, waiting for Cybil to continue. And eventually, she did. "He collected a lot of those things. Almost embarassed to say it..."

Now, Adrian thought, it was fair ground for him to reply. Although not exact the brightest of answers, he never had talked about a subject like this so seriously. "Your father.. he was a Nazi follower or something?" He asked the question honestly, but it still made Cybil look a bit put off by the question. But she had brought it up...

"Not proud of it in the least, either.."

Adrian looked down at the weapon in his hands, and then back up at Cybil. "What are you doing with this then?"

Cybil replied quickly- the faster she said it, the faster the subject would be done with. "Taking it from him was the only way to get him to stop threatening me and my mother with it." Adrian looked down at his feet almost as speedy as Cybil's reply. A wave of idiocy hit him for asking the question. Another wave hit him shortly after that for not getting to walking.

Cybil could sense Adrian's tension, and continued to speak to try and calm him down. "I just hope you know how to use that. And not to use it unless you have to..." Cybil was content with trailing off there, but added one last remark, "..and don't go blasting me by mistake."

Adrian nodded, as he took out the clip loaded in the weapon to find it full at eight rounds. He pushed the clip back in and jammed the weapon into one of his pants pockets. He looked up at Cybil apologetically, but this expression would be brief as Cybil spoke for him in reassurance.

"Don't worry about it. At least there was some good in it. He rekindled _my_ faith in God. Something I had lost awhile ago.."

Adrian knew when 'awhile ago' was. "After you left Silent Hill the first time. Right?" Cybil nodded her head, but she seemed to be busy looking worriedly at something else. Adrian turned away from Cybil, and gulped when he saw fog beginning to grow, until it momentarily cleared up to reveal the 'Welcome to Silent Hill' sign. And right after the sign became recognizable, the fog surrounded the car once more. Adrian sighed at the brevity of the clear skies, and looked back at Cybil for some relief from the visions to come in the haunted town. However, this didn't last any longer when he suddenly keeled over in pain. His stomach was bothering him. And the second the cramped sensation hit him, he knew something wasn't right.

"What's wrong?" Cybil questioned as she glanced at Adrian amidst concentrating on not veering off the road.

Adrian gritted his teeth as he replied. "Something... something's not right here. Something bad is gonna happen..." he trailed off as the pain soon became too much for him. He gripped Cybil's right arm and clutched it tight. At first Cybil slightly pulled away, but upon realizing Adrian was using it to brace himself from snapping because of the pain, she gave in.

"The car," Adrian groaned, "stop the car."

Upon reaching the residential area, Cybil parked and allowed Adrian to scamper out of the vehicle. He ran off onto the nearby sidewalk and doubled over. He began to cough, when a shadow caused him to stir and look upwards.

"Cybil?" He asked, as he reached out to the shadow, as if to rest his hand on Cybil's shoulder, when the figure recoiled its shoulder and grabbed Adrian's hand. Harshly.

At that very moment, a horrible epiphany hit him.

'Fuck... I don't think that's Cybil.'

And before he knew it, he felt himself yanked forward- yanked inches in front of an open-mouthed face. An open-mouthed face, to which the skin was melting.

Out of the mouth eminated a tremendous scream. Adrian was overwhelmed by this as he stumbled away a couple of baby steps before the hand still gripped on his kept him from continuing. All Adrian could do then, was scream back.

"SHIT! CYBIL!" He yelled and tugged hard on his arm relentlessly as the screaming face leaned closer. Near liquid skin dripped off the pink pallor of the bald monster's complexion, and from it came a rank stench. Adrian initially thought it was the thing's breath, but as plops of skin smacked against the pavement at his feet, it became dreadfully clear what the smell was really coming from. The stench of none other than burnt flesh. It was so surreal that Adrian's free hand was too frozen stiff to reach for his newly acquired weapon. Instead, the hand clutched his ribs which still felt like they were going to burst. "Cybil," he shouted again, "Cybil help! Damn.. my stomach, oh God my stomach!"

What made it so much more horrifying were what the monster's screams had slowly turned into afterwards. They were bloodcurdling cries of despair. Cries that made the adamant statement, "MY FACE! MY _FACE_!" They easily overpowered Adrian's screams of the pain in his stomach.

Cybil heard the screams not too far from her position. She had been checking how close she came to her tires touching the curb she had parked next to when she her ears had perked. "Adrian?" She drew her standard issue nine millimeter Beretta and pointed it into the fog. She hesitated in firing at first, long enough to get a good glimpse of the thing she was aiming at. And there, she was horrified to see the melting 'human' attacking the young adult. She breathed through her mouth as she, too, had begun to be repulsed by the aroma around her.

"Get this thing the fuck off of me!!" Adrian pleaded. Cybil lunged over to grab the figure's hand, and was further disgusted when the skin on the back of the thing's hand was slimy and watery, feeling just how the skin on its face looked. To Adrian's relief she persisted, however, and eventually was able to wrench the hand away.

Adrian nearly fell back on the seat of his pants, legs wobbly from being on the sidewalk to the grass without any notice. However he kept his balance, and had finally managed to reach for his gun. His cold, clammy hands pulled the weapon from his pocket to shakily point it at the monster. But before he could squeeze off a single bullet, Cybil started the gunfire. _BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!_ Three shots to the melting figure's chest was all it took before it fell over in a bloody heap.

Adrian stared in shock at it. But what made it so scary was the fact that it seemingly came out of nowhere. Without warning, he could have been killed. But he wasn't. He was still living, breathing.. still scared. But he came close to losing that. Too close for comfort.

"Are you alright?" Cybil quickly went to Adrian to check on him, to which he nodded.

"Yeah, I'm cool.." his reply was soon revoked however as he leaned forward and squatted down, "oh man no I'm not.. my stomach.. I'm gonna puke.. shit I'm gonna puke." Cybil went to his side and knelt down next to him in the front yard they were standing in, gently rubbing his back to help put him at ease. Luckily enough for him, the violent coughing only remained coughing, and he was able to stand up with confidence, although his breathing was still pretty heavy.

"Are you going to be okay to keep going? You're not safe if you keep doing that."

"I know," Adrian replied hastily, "I know. Just... need a few minutes to adjust to this air." He walked around in a short circle, just to make sure he wasn't going to be in pain again. Once he was sure of himself, he nodded. "I'm alright."

"Okay." Cybil holstered her Beretta and reached into one of her pants pockets, pulling out a fresh clip of bullets and handing it to Adrian. "In case something like that happens more often." Adrian half smiled in gratitude and took it, putting it away in his pocket. "So," the officer continued, "where do we start looking?" Adrian felt his cheeks become heated at this comment. He was so mixed with emotions all this time, he didn't even think of where to look for the culprit to his brother, and quite possibly his ex girlfriend's murder. But the more he thought about it then, the more it dawned on him that there were a lot of places to look. A lot.

The look of bewilderment on Adrian's face was enough for Cybil, and she shrugged her shoulders. "Okay.. how about we find a designated safe haven first, and we'll get things sorted out from there."


	17. Pulse

Chapter 17: Pulse

Fortunately for Cybil and Adrian, it hadn't taken long before they found shelter. A nearby motel called the Haerbey Inn, in Silent Hill's resort area. The outside of the place looked as if it hadn't seen guests in years- everything was rather old and out of shape. Not that it wasn't still a fitting place to stay, however, as the rooms still had running water and were comfortably furnished. And considering they were the only two sane people in a town full of monsters, staying in a place that gave off some kind of comfort surely was welcome with open arms.

"So," Cybil questioned shyly, "got any ideas?" Adrian didn't answer, he was too busy standing over the bathroom sink. His time of being free from pain didn't last long afterall. "Do you need to go to a hospital or something?" Cybil headed over to see if Adrian was okay, but Adrian quickly slammed the once open bathroom door in response. He thought it obvious that he wasn't in a talkative mood with the pain coursing throughout his body, but it apparently wasn't that clear to Cybil.

He shook his head as he leaned forward, both hands firmly planted on the sides of the sink. He remained there for a long while, almost as if he were afraid the pain would only increase if he moved around. But after about five minutes of frustration just doing nothing when he was dead set on extracting revenge- something came to his mind. "What did you say?"

Cybil had groaned as a slight bit of frustration bothered her also when Adrian slammed that door in her face. And she felt a bit more annoyed when it took him so long to answer her, and answer her with a question of his own no less. "What did I say?" She reiterated. "I asked if you were okay."

"No," Adrian grumbled in reply, "after that."

"Do you need to go to a hospital?"

Yep, that hit home. Adrian thought about it for a brief moment however, to make sure his suspicions were reasonable enough. A couple of weeks before his initial drive into Silent Hill, he had went to the hospital for what was to get a shot he was long overdue for- tetanus shot, flu shot, he couldn't remember exactly what. But after he left this hospital, that was when the stomach aches began. He was fairly sure he had no scar on his stomach before that, and even more confident that the pain wasn't before that. And if the hospital was in Silent Hill all along, it would have been a big piece of the puzzle solved. If only he remembered the name.

_'Come on... A.. started with an A... Allenheim? Alchemite? Alchemilla...'_

Cybil's ears picked up the small sound of the bathroom doorknob beginning to turn. The door creaked open, and Adrian poked his head out. "Is there a hospital in Silent Hill called Alchemilla?" He asked this with the sound in his voice that he was going to have Cybil wondering where in the hell he got the name Alchemilla from. Which made him all the more surprised to find Cybil pause and actually give the question some thought.

Cybil knew for a fact that the name sounded familiar, but was it from Silent Hill? It didn't take long for her to make sure. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's in the central area... why?"

"I think that's where we want to go." The door opened completely, and Adrian stepped out into the main room. "Mind driving me?"

It took around a half hour, but they eventually found the place. It was shrouded in fog so much that it was amazing they spotted the sign on the front gate. Adrian turned to Cybil and frowned as she fiddled with the knob to her radio, but to no avail- the only thing amounting from that was the crackle of static. "Figures.. I can't radio in to Brahms, not even to South Ashfield, either.. we're on our own with this."

_'As if there was no doubt to that,' _Adrian thought.

"You have to be sure with me, Adrian," Cybil continued in as serious a voice she could muster, "you have to be sure that you're not going to have one of those problems with your stomach again. I need you to-"

"I'm fine," Adrian cut her off, "the less we worry about it, the better off I'll be. Trust me."

Cybil nodded in recognition. "I understand."

Adrian climbed out of the car. Cybil had begun to climb out as well, but sat back in her seat and fiddled with the key in the ignition.

"What are you doing?" Adrian mumbled out of impatience as he glanced back over his shoulder at Cybil, and she gave a speedy reply.

"I'm not taking any chances with this car. If we run into trouble in there, I'm going to keep the car running." The only problem was, however, surprise surprise- the car refused to start.

"Fu-" Cybil refrained from cursing- it didn't make much of a difference, though, because Adrian would blurt it out for her.

"Fuck!"

Cybil glanced at Adrian and narrowed her eyes. Adrian gazed back at her. "What? You expect me to be reciting poems?" He pulled out his Walther and held it tightly in his left hand. "Let's get this over with, if that's okay."

Cybil gritted her teeth in defeat before getting out, closing the driver door behind her. Both of them slowly, cautiously made their way to the large, and very imposing steel gates. Adrian pushed on the gates as Cybil withdrew her weapon from her holster. "This thing's locked," Adrian said with increasing annoyance. Cybil could see the chains and the lock around the steel bars. She pointed her weapon, looking to demolish the lock with a single shot, but lowered her gun instead.

"What are you doing?" Adrian asked, leaning against the gate and sucking his teeth. The more worried he got, the more anxious he was to get this trip in the hospital behind him.

"This isn't the movies," Cybil replied sternly, "a miss would probably have the bullet coming right back at me or you."

Adrian stretched out his left arm and pointed his pistol at the lock. "I'm willing to take that chance."

_KA-SCHHINK!_ The bullet hit the lock, alright, but it did not give. Luckily neither him or Cybil were hurt, either.

"Really want to get hurt, don't you?" Cybil shook her head as she looked around for another way in- she didn't see one. A brick wall at least ten feet high surrounded the rest of the building.

Adrian looked up the gate, and shrugged his shoulders. Putting his weapon away, he began to scale the rusty steel. Cybil stared up at him, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. But she was sure about one thing- once Adrian set his mind on something, he wasn't going to be denied. Cybil put her Beretta away and climbed up behind the young adult.

Adrian gripped a right hand around one of the top spikes that belonged to the top of the gate, and his left hand did the same. He began to hoist himself up, but as he did, something had got his attention- a small piece of paper, impaled by the spike next to Adrian's left hand. Adrian squinted to see if the paper had anything of importance on it, and was stunned to see what the erratic black ink spelled...

'DON'T SLIP'

"...What the hell?"

The very moment the last syllable of that sentence left his mouth, Adrian's right foot slipped and his left one had luckily only let Adrian fall an inch or two, landing on a piece of steel that stuck out from the gate. If his foot hadn't landed there, Adrian's head would have been just as shishkabobbed as that note. As it was, another inch and the spike under Adrian's chin would have been close enough to come in contact with the skin.

Cybil recoiled under Adrian as he fell that tiny bit, almost knocking her off as well. "What are you doing?" She asked. Adrian gave a simple shake of his head and climbed over the gate, dropping down to the concrete walkway on the other side. Cybil followed soon after, not seeming to have paid attention to the note stuck where she was scaling.

Adrian assisted her safely to the ground, and she nodded her head in thanks. "No problem," Adrian replied before he then let his attention fall back towards the front door.

Luckily for them it wasn't another steel gate- just a frail looking pair of doors with a see through window on each, and a curtain on the other side of them, keeping anyone on the outside from peering in. Cybil checked the doorknob, just as Adrian went for his gun again.

"Loc-" before Cybil could finish the worked, another bullet from Adrian's Walther shattered one of the glass windows. Cybil glared in disbelief as Adrian poked the remaining shards of glass with the barrel of his gun, sending the glass crunching to the tiled hospital floor inside. He then glanced to Cybil, assuming she would reach her hand inside and get the lock. Her glare was replaced for a jaw dropped expression. Adrian sighed and turned to the window.

"Fine, I'll do it.." Adrian put his gun away and rubbed his hands together. That cloth was still covering the window, and he wasn't about to stick his hand in there within reach of anything wanting to do some kind of harm.

Cybil noticed his hesitation, and smiled. "If something was back there, I think it would have came already. You've made enough noise as it is.." Adrian hushed her to silence, and he finally stuck his right hand into the window. He reached as far down as slack would allow, but the doorknob was just barely out of his reach.

"Give me a small boost," Adrian said as he lifted his left foot, "I can't reach it by myself." Cybil clasped her hands and put them underneath Adrian's sneaker, allowing him to push off and get that extra couple inches of leverage he needed to reach the lock and turn it. "Okay let go."

Adrian dropped back to the ground and stepped back from the door, and half smirked in triumph when the door creaked open on its own. He normally would have openly gloated about a successful B and E, but he hadn't forgotten why he was there in the first place. He had been deadly serious since they got into town. Hell, he was deadly serious a long while before that.

He peered into the open doorway and waited- after hearing nothing more than silence, he stepped inside. His sneakers crackled thanks to the broken pieces of glass underneath them, and they made Adrian's muscles stiffen in nervousness. He soon eased himself fully into the lobby, and Cybil trailed not too far behind him. She trained her weapon around the corner, which veered off left down the rest of the waiting room. There were tables and chairs overturned throughout the large space, and that made it difficult for the two of them to maneuver around. However it didn't take long to adjust to the positioning of everything, and it was much better that the small amount of light from outside had illuminated the lobby- just enough for Adrian and Cybil to find the room empty.

There were only two doors around the corner, and upon checking them only one lock was not broken. Adrian pushed it open while Cybil pointed her gun at the desolate room beyond it. It was simply a continuing of the waiting room which made another left turn. Cybil checked the doors next to her, but they did not budge. "These locks are broken, too. I'm not surprised... this place looks like it was abandoned long, long ago."

Adrian nodded and slowly pointed down the hall. "Yeah.. you check those two doors at the end of the hall, I'll check out what's around the corner."

"What are we looking for?"

"...Anything. Anything suspicious. Anything with Sam's name on it. Just, anything that looks important basically." How they were exactly going to see anything, however, never came across Adrian's mind. Cybil did have a small pen light to help, but it didn't work any wonders. In fact, after she walked into one of the rooms Adrian requested her to check, that light was long gone. Step by quiet step Adrian went by his lonesome down the long, dark hallway. The tiled floor and marble walls were not out of place but still seemed menacing in a hospital surrounded by what was undeniably enough, evil.

Cybil found herself in what looked to be the remains of a doctor's office. Yet this office, was not exactly in tip top shape. The one window in the room was shattered, and allowed a cold draft to ventilate the area, and a couple bookcases and tables were toppled over. However, Cybil spotted one thing untouched in the far left corner. A small desk with a book on it- a book that seemed to be a journal.

Cybil picked it up and filed through it, checking for recent entries- however, most entries dated back to 1989, the year after her and Harry had escaped Silent Hill.

6/21/89

'I stopped by the Hope House today to check on Raven, but I wasn't even allowed in when I was there with her medicine. Oh well, it's not exactly needed. Besides, if she happens to get violent she will lash out on those yoyos instead of her own father. At least she should know better. This medicine isn't even legal yet either way...'

6/24/89

'I do wish she would show some signs of progression. Sometimes I believe she's only pretending to be sick, but she doesn't have a reason to. People have gotten angry with me for using up their precious drug that still happens to await approval by the DEA. I guess I don't blame them, they need their rain to manufacture this medicine, but we've been on a drought for months. I'd probably be upset, too, but then again I'm not a fanatic over this cockamame White Claudia.'

6/30/89

'I've been starting to hear that the reason why everyone is so up in arms for it is because they still are trying to ressurect their silly occult through some child. I'd think they would learn by now, but I don't deal in spirituality, I deal in rationality. But still, a child used for ritualistic purposes...

That could be my daughter...'

7/2/89

'Tried several times to recover Raven from those loons at the Hope House, but they became more and more senile each time. This morning some freak with unkempt hair and a pair of reading glasses pulled out a gun on me! He said "If you talk of this or attempt to brainwash our child, I will put an end to you." THEIR child?! What the hell is this?! And what is wrong with the police?! I called them three times and their phone lines are out of service. If I am not allowed to see my daughter soon, I'm going to go insane...'

7/3/89

'Depression has finally set in. I don't know why it hadn't happened before, but it's better late than never I suppose. Maggie's death is too much for me at this point. If only she was here with me to help calm me down.. to assure me that we would have our daughter back and sleeping under the safety of our roof.. but she can't now. I still have her medicine with me, in the events I can at least have a look at my Raven.. but it is painfully clear that those religious types will never change. I think I'll just take her medicine for her and see what happens...'

The rest of the pages were blank. Cybil slowly closed the journal and placed it in one of her pants pockets where it barely fit. People still alive after her and Harry? People actually.. getting on with their lives? "That's.. not possible." Cybil looked down at her pocket where she stuffed the less than average sized book, and frowned. But it was possible. She had proof of it. She just read about it.

Wondering if there was anything else in the room of importance, she checked the desk's drawers. But upon sliding the top one open, she suddenly wished she hadn't. "Oh my God..."

Empty syringes. Dozens of them. All piled up in a tiny little drawer. Daring to further quench her curiousity, she picked one of them up and looked at the labeling. She had to squint to see the faded lettering, but what it said, was:

_20cc WC_

_Dremora, Raven_

Cybil shook her head, disgusted. She could understand someone being sick, but there were so many syringes- it wasn't possible all of them were for her. She picked up another syringe and read the labeling... same name, same amount of dosage. And the next one, and the next, and the next one after that.

"Hard to believe someone would have taken all of these..." What made it harder to believe such a thing, however, was the fact that the drug wasn't even legal. It didn't take any second thoughts or glances to know what the 'WC' on those labels stood for.

"Still awaiting approval from the DEA... they must have had a field day with this issue.." She kept that thought in her mind as she turned to leave, but felt her right foot momentarily slip underneath something on the floor. She remained upright and squatted down to see what it was. Another empty syringe.

"Must've fell out when I was looking through the drawers." She lifted it up, and checked it. She didn't know why, but she just felt compelled to read the label.

_40cc WC_

_Nordiana, Sam_

Cybil's eyes widened slightly. He was on an even larger dosage than Raven was... but she was sick supposedly. What was his excuse?

She turned to the door, eager to tell Adrian of what she had found, but was stunned to find him missing. "Adrian? Adrian where are you?" She recieved no answer.


	18. Love

Chapter 18: Love

There was quite a selection of doors for Adrian to choose. A set of double doors, a beaten down looking wooden door, a door with a faded restroom symbol on it, and an elevator in the corner. The elevator seemed a bit too unstable to head into, and Adrian wasn't about to head up another floor until he checked everything on the first floor. The other doors he deducted through random choice, and he picked the double doors. He swung one open and glanced around- in doing so he took quick notice that it was the kitchen. It didn't seem all that sanitary, however- pots and pans were scattered everywhere, the tiled walls bronzed with rust.

There was obviously a much more comforting light blue decor that strained to break through the filth that piled up over what seemed to be the years that the hospital hadn't been in use. However, it didn't seem like that mildew and rust would go away any time soon, either.

Frowning, Adrian left the room- wasn't much of a reason to beat around the bush in the kitchen. And even if he were hungry, a haunted looking hospital was not his ideal place to satiate an appetite. He closed the door behind him and headed farther down the hallway in hopes that he would continue to have luck with the lack of a menacing presence. The last thing he wanted was to be caught in one of the building's small hallways by that Pyramid Head, as he so affectionately referred to it as in his mind. But the more he let it sink in, he really didn't want to be caught by anything other than Cybil in that hospital. And if something moved in front of him that wasn't Cybil, he convinced himself that he was going to shoot it.

The next door had finally opened after numerous failed attempts at getting the doorknob to move. The wooden door was so badly damaged through age that it almost refused to work, until Adrian bashed his shoulder into it. He had to not follow through completely with his charge however, as doing so would have caused him to fall down a nasty, steep flight of stairs.

The moment the door flew open, Adrian clutched the doorknob in what was like a death grip. One could discern that the ultra narrow hall was shrouded in a heavy layer of darkness, And Adrian was no exception to that. His eyes squinted as he tried desperately to cut past the darkness in any way possible, but it was no use. Thinking a step forward would help, his right foot poked around for the floor, but came up with nothing.

"Can't see a damn thing like this.." he mumbled under his breath as he turned to open the door further and get the little light from outside to illuminate the hall, but it was no use- he found the door slammed shut again.

"No," he pounded on the door, suddenly coming to a decision that it wasn't a good idea to enter the non-lit room. He had backed up to try and get the door open the same way he had before, but in doing this he forgot that there was no floor.

"Ergh, no!" He fell backwards. His hands swiped for the doorknob, but to no avail. He tumbled down a flight of approximately fifteen steps. His body made a sickening thud against each smack against the ground, until there were no more steps underneath him and an even floor presented itself. "Oww..." he groaned, slowly trying to sit up. He reached out for maybe a wall next to him and found it- the hallway was so incredibly narrow, it didn't take much stretching for him to reach both walls with his hands only. And it was dark. Very dark.

And to make the expereince worse, a noise was beginning to develop nearby. Not hard on the ears but not exactly comforting, either, it sounded like an out of tune song playing on a broken record. A song that sounded like it belonged in the thirties.

"H...ver f.....ay, I will alwa.. l.. you  
..owever lo... I st.. I wi.. al...  
Whate.. ord... I.. s... w....ways.. ..ve you  
I will always lo......."

The words were barely recognizable over the static that overpowered the song. Adrian's ears were at full attention, trying to pick the song out but to no avail. Why he was trying to hear it in the first place, he didn't even know.

"Sounds like it should be an uplifting song," he said to no one in particular, "with all that static in it though, just adds to the depression."

Reaching out for whatever it was, he accidentally bumped into something. He jumped from the shock, but upon feeling about what it was, his hand recoiled when he felt a coldness that practically stung him. Not long after this did he hear a screech of a wheel along the ground, but that only lasted a second. Adrian slowly brought his hand back to whatever it was, and upon some more inspection, he found that it was indeed a broken record player, still spinning in a candid effort to bring forth music. A pitiful expression marked Adrian's face although it would have been impossible to see in such darkness. But either way, it only took a few further gropes through the air to stop the record. But once that happened, Adrian spun around as he heard a voice- a familiar voice.

"I was listening to that," the voice said sharply. No emotion behind it- just a simple declaration that Adrian had ruined someone's good time. Yet Adrian stammered out a reply, although he hesitated to think about it for a minute before he did.

"Maria?"

He then heard a shuffling movement afterwards. The sound of feet clacking on a tiled floor, mixed with the swishing of cloths brushing against one another. Adrian began to grow very uneasy, his stomach beginning to tie into knots as the tension was laid on thick in the dark hall. And then, silence. A few long, somehow stress removing moments, of silence. And then came the click.

Adrian snapped his eyes shut out of reaction to the light over him. This would soon change once he was able to get his first good look at the hall, however, realizing that the light wasn't that bright at all. It did the job in showing the thin area off, however, as there wasn't even much to show off really. Unfortunately, when Adrian got to have a detailed glimpse at the place, he soon wished he was bathed in the darkness again.

The broken record player sat on top of one of many gurneys that went off in two lines, one down each side of the hall. Each one seemed to be occupied by human figures, but one couldn't say for sure with the damp red sheets that concealed each frame. Adrian winced at the sight, and his body stiffened when he felt something touch one of his black and white high-tops: a huge cockroach, almost the size of an average fist. It seemed to look up at Adrian, and it locked eyes with him for a brief moment before it hissed cruelly. Adrian shook his head and regained his senses enough to kick the mutated cockroach down the corridor, as if it were a soccer ball. However the person that he kicked the bug towards didn't like that very much.

"Oh, I'm uh.. I'm sorry." Adrian seemed a bit flustered by Raven's presence not too far down the hallway. Her right hand was raised, and clutched in it was a nearly unnoticeable little chain connected to a sole swinging lightbulb.

The look on her face was different from the way she looked three months ago- whereas then she seemed to look like a kid in a candy store whenever Adrian made his presence felt, now she seemed as if terribly infuriated by him. It was safe to say that she cared less for the cockroach that scurried off down the hall behind her, though.

"What did you call me?" She said softly, although soft could hardly describe the look she had on her face. She didn't seem to like being mistaken for someone else very much.

"Sorry," Adrian stammered, "you just sounded like someone else, that's all." He let out a soft sigh- the disappointment in his features that it wasn't Maria at the end of the hall waiting for him could be felt. And it only seemed to tick Raven off even more.

"It's not okay, what you did to her," Raven said grimly, "not right at all."

Adrian took a baby step forward, trying not to alert the young woman. "What do you mean?" He cautiously continued toward her, holding his hands high to show that he wasn't going to try anything. Raven didn't seem to buy it however, and she began to back off.

"Stay back, Adrian," she muttered. It was the first time he had remembered her call him by that name. But given the current situation he was in, he couldn't bring himself to think that was so important. Frowning, Adrian complied and stopped where he was.

"I- I don't understand," he answered slowly, "what is it that I did?" Upon getting no answer, he started to show signs of frustration. He wasn't liking what Raven was doing. "What did I do that is so bad compared to half the things I was put through? Huh?" He got so carried away that he completely forgot about Raven's plea and marched towards her once more. "You answer me, you tell me what I did that was so bad! What did I do?! Stop with the riddles and tell me if it's so important, bitch!" As he closed the distance between them both, Raven reached into her black kimono and pulled out a knife.

This had stopped Adrian dead in his tracks. He couldn't bring himself to shoot any human other than the one he originally intended to shoot, so he refused to draw his handgun in response. He simply stopped and took a small step back. "You don't want to use that," he insisted, in regards to her weapon.

She looked down at the knife she held, and then back up at Adrian. Her eyes squinted slightly, as if deliberately holding back emotion. Holding back remorse. "I could never bring myself to hate you," she whispered. She then trailed off for a moment, before she confirmed to herself what to say next. "But what you did to her.. what you did to me is inexcusable." She sighed, and turned away from Adrian, looking to leave. Adrian didn't want any of that just yet, though.

"So that's how it is?" Raven did not answer his question, she just continued walking. Adrian began to walk after her once more, and he raised his voice the next time. "What in the hell did I do wrong? Aren't you going to answer me, for Chrissake?" At that remark, Raven stopped. The knife in her hand was grasped in a vice of iron. But still, she did not turn around. She took a deep breath, and continued walking. "Hey!" Adrian yelled after her, though it was no use- she disappeared beyond the wooden door at the end of the hall.

"Shit."

He ran a slow paced jog after her. Reaching the door he made no second thought about not entering- there was nowhere else to go, anyway. And to make sure of that, he looked back over his shoulder at the small amount of light which was now behind him. It was blatantly apparent that he was going to miss that light.

He exhaled loudly out his mouth and tugged on the doorknob in his right hand. It opened easily, and revealed more darkness as a result. The lightbulb in the middle of the hall Adrian was standing in managed to show off some of the room in front of him, but not much. And not nearly enough for that matter.

Adrian frowned as he stepped into what was another very narrow hallway. "Raven?" He eased on forward. This time he had his Walther raised and ready to blow a hole in anything he came across. He was fairly sure that the hall was safe, however- if something was in there, he'd have heard it.

To his surprise, though, the hall had opened up into a large room, which was also pitch black.

_'Why does this place gotta be in the fuckin' dark? I hate the dark.'_

The darkness proved to be as much of an annoyance as it was a fear factor. There were a couple instances where Adrian had bumped into walls because of the inability to see anything in front of him. He'd need his other senses on high alert, and they were- his ears picked up movement to his right.

"Raven?" He immediately glanced in the direction of the sound and squinted his eyes. He could notice that in the middle of the large room was a long wall that stretched down most of the area, but stopped to leave space in the back for another way to walk around it. The wall was only a few feet thick, and seemed somewhat out of place. However, as he carefully moved closer to it he noticed a small slit where one could walk in. He peered inside of it and noticed another stairwell going down- this one made of steel, as the flickering lightbulb on the ceiling had shown.

Adrian slipped inside and looked down the stairs. There were about ten of them before there was a sharp turn at the bottom, where there would presumably be another flight of them awaiting. The path down, though, was extremely thin- Adrian could barely fit inside as he slowly took one step down. He could hear a very faint, very distant mechanic sound coming from somewhere. He couldn't figure it what it exactly was, although the sound could have been compared to the one a roller coaster makes as the cars are dragged up that long hill up to the top before the huge fall that usually started, and/or capped off the ride. And no machine Adrian heard of before that sounded like that did him any good. Roller coasters always made him puke, at least they did in the memories he had of them.

He eventually thought it best to pay no mind to the noise and continued to make his way downstairs. Once Adrian had reached the bottom of the first flight, he looked to his right and saw what was around the sharp turn and found his intuition to be correct- more steps awaited him, but this time it was different. Halfway down the walls disappeared, leaving nothing but the stairwell leading into pure, unbridled darkness. It wasn't a change of scenery from the shadowed room above, but yet something felt strange to Adrian as he slowly went down a step. And another. And another. And after about seven or eight steps down he realized that the walls didn't stop nearly half way down. The stairs had instead led much farther downward than the lack of light would allow Adrian to see. Slowly but surely, things had been starting to get worse.

That mechanical sound had grown a little louder- not too much, but just enough so you simply could not block it out of your head if you tried. But Adrian still did not bring himself to be affected by that. He was too busy staring at the stairs that seemed to head through the darkness forever. But still, he couldn't bring himself to turn back- there was nowhere he could go anyway.

He then began to move at a brisker pace down the stairs, logic telling him that the sooner he reached the bottom the less fear he'd have to endure. He had broken out into a run at one point, before something stopped him. A figure that Adrian could see as clear as day, shot up over the railing on the right and hunched over it. A human figure that looked like a burn victim- it's skin was pink and flaky, it's scalp free of hair but not without numerous bloodied burns. Its hands were no easier to look at- the fingernails were so long they had become claws.

It looked up at Adrian and grinned, but in a far more menacing grin than friendly. It did not look good in any way, shape, or form.

Adrian stopped right where he was, before hopping up two or three steps. "Holy fuck..." he mumbled, although it was drowned out by the machine noises that grew loud to the point that they would have been unbearable to Adrian if only he wasn't fixated on how to get past the thing about seven steps down. And then, the last thing Adrian expected to happen, happened.

The stairs underneath Adrian's feet started to move, causing him to fall on his back and get dragged down towards the abomination before him. In doing this, his gun left his hands.

_'Escalator to hell. Going down. Not GOOD!'_

He stood up and took a couple steps back up the escalator to have enough time to get a clean shot off on the monster, but he was forgetting something.

"Aww man!" He could only watch helplessly as his gun drifted down past the monster's outstretched arms. It simply waited patiently for Adrian to get into its range, but the young man disapproved of this. He turned and ran, trying to catch up to the light from the top of the escalator, but it was no use. It was beginning to work like a treadmill- slowly building speed until Adrian was flat out running to keep himself from dropping down.

He peeked back over his shoulder to see that no matter how hard he ran, he was being inched closer to the thing by the minute. It had finally come to a point where there was nothing left to do.

"Ah shiii-" Adrian yelled as he vaulted over his right side of the railing and let himself fall into the blackness below. And before long the shouting was cut off by the abrupt bashing of his body against a cold tile floor.

When Adrian's eyes began to flutter, his head shot in both directions from sheer paranoia. His black hair was already damp with a cold sweat, and for a moment he was sure he was going to piss himself at the sight of that... thing, that was reaching out for him like a child looking for an embrace from their parents. And it didn't help matters that he still couldn't see very much. He could only make himself look up at the place from which he jumped- and found a ten foot high stairway, nowhere near the huge distance the escalator had previously covered.

"That- that's not possible.." Adrian stuttered as he got to his feet. "That fuckin' thing was... it was like a mile long.. like it had no goddamn end!" He moved around to the front of the stairs and found his Walther at the foot, waiting for him. He quickly leaned down to pick it up, before he pointed it around the room. There was no sign of a burned monster anywhere. At least he was alone again.

He walked over and sat on what were now wooden stairs, and caught his breath. "That went well," he mumbled to himself, "Cybil was right. I am going to get myself killed if I keep this up." He seemed ashamed of himself, as if a person that could only be derived from the worst of nightmares wasn't supposed to scare him.

Adrian was about to stand up when his foot had kicked something on the floor by accident. "Huh?" He looked down and picked the item up, examining it as best as the darkness would allow.

_'Looks like a journal or something.'_

He flipped it open, and was a bit amazed to find only one page in it. And no matter how tough it was to see without the light, the large black lettering on the nice white paper made it for a relatively easy read- there wasn't much to read anyhow.

ROOM 105  
SAM


	19. Duality

Chapter 19: Duality

Adrian tore the paper out of the book and stuffed it into his pocket. He now had something. An actual clue to where his answers would be. Room 105... sounded appealing, if only he was able to manage a way out of the basement he was in. He stood up and surveyed his surroundings once more.

He frowned at the sight of the darkness that covered everything. It was everywhere, just like the fog was outside. Except now he couldn't see at all, as the light coming from the stairwell above did not reach down to where he was. It was almost pure luck that his hand brushed against a cold metal doorknob.

His eyes narrowed and his head craned to the right, where his hand reached around for it again. And when he grabbed it, it was indeed a doorknob, although something was different about it. It felt wet, and rather sticky. The feeling of blood sticking to his skin had quickly come to mind, and he jammed the hand into a pant pocket, trying to dry it off. Too bad it didn't get rid of that rotten smell of decay.

When he felt satiated enough that his hand was clean enough, it grasped the doorknob once more, albeit in a more tentative manner. He flicked it counter-clockwise a bit, but then he faltered.

_'What if the person whose blood is on this doorknob is on the other side? What if this person is still alive? What if this person... isn't really a person at all, and I'm walking into a trap?'_

With that thought, he quickly raised his Walther with the other hand and pointed it at the door. Slowly, he creaked it open. More darkness.

"Oh for fuck's sake..." he said out of the tiresome squinting he had to do to see in every room. He really should have brought a flashlight with him; it was very irrational for him to head to Silent Hill empty handed. Even that stupid radio he had the last time would have helped.

He took a step forward, and his right hand felt along the wall next to him while his left hand coldly gripped his weapon. He took another bold step forward, then another, then _BAM!_

"Ouch!" He quickly hopped up and down on one foot, as he clutched his right foot in a measly attempt to console the pain in his stubbed toe. "Goddamn steps," he mumbled under his breath as he brought down his foot onto one of the stairs. Blindly, he made his way up- slowly but surely until he had finally reached the top and creaked open the door that met him there.

When he opened it, it took a couple steps for him to walk into the light that shined through the only window in a strangely empty room. No... there was something around, he just didn't sense it.

It wasn't until Adrian was in the middle of the square room that he turned to look back at the door he entered, and noticed the shadows that were moving in both corners adjacent to his entrance. When he raised his gun towards the corner to his left and leaned forward, he could see what it was- a pack of dogs, at least that's what they somewhat resembled, three to four in both corners. They were savagely tearing and gnawing at something, and each bite into the object at their feet brought a sickening mixture of meat being ripped from the bone and drops liquid smacking against the tiled floor with each tiny plop. Whatever it was they were eating, Adrian was sure he didn't want to know- he just hoped he wouldn't become their next snack.

Swiftly, he rushed over to the only other door in the room in the far left corner. He turned the doorknob, and immediately kicked the wood in frustration of running into a dead end. His leg quickly recoiled however, when he realized the stupid mistake he just made. Turning to see if any of the things had heard the noise, his fears were soon confirmed- one dog turned and opened its bloody maw at Adrian, drooling a bloody drool while it let out a ferocious growl. Its allies, taking notice to the growl, all turned as well and snarled at the frightened human across the room.

All Adrian could do was point his gun at one of the packs. And with the immediate threat, one of the dogs Adrian pointed to had charged from its corner at him.

For a moment, things slowed to a crawl. Adrian closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and tried to remember the rule of thumb about firearms.

'Keep a tight hold on your weapon, keep an eye on the target, squeeze the trigger.. breathe deep-'

One eye winked open and a loud _BLAM_ sounded, quickly followed by the muzzle blast that momentarily illuminated the room even more. The dog-like monster let out a yelp and leapt backwards before it stumbled to the floor. Adrian smirked when he found the hole he made- a large red splotch in the greyish skin of the creature's chest. The other monsters simply growled, before all at once, the six or seven of them lunged forward. Adrian gulped as he thought fast of what to do. He didn't have nearly enough ammo to take down all of them. So reflexively, he did the first thing he could think of. He rushed in between the two packs and dove for the door he had entered in. Before the monsters could turn and chase after him, he was out of the room and out of harm's way.

Adrian leaned back, pressing all of his weight against the door in the event that the dogs weren't going to be satiated with letting him go. But to his surprise, his ears perked at the sound of only several scratches on the other side of the door and nothing else. Not long after that did everything go quiet once more.

Adrian took a breath in relief before looking back down the stairwell he was sitting atop of. He was not liking the possibility of heading back downstairs, as the chances of finding another door that would so much as open for him was small. With how dark it was down there, he'd be surprised if he could even find a door at all. If he snuck back into the room he would have time to fire off one, maybe two shots at the lock on the door- but the chances of that working were slim. He'd also have to worry how much more alert the dogs would be after his first intrusion- but what else could he do?

"I know I'm going to hate myself for doing this.." he grumbled as he turned and slowly peeked out from the door. He could only see the corner to his right, but the dogs over there had gone back to eating; not one of them bothered to glance over at the door. Feeling bold, Adrian opened it slightly further, and smiled as there was still no reaction. Slowly pushing the door open so he could step through, he calmly walked on over to the door across the room and checked it again- it was indeed locked.

He initially put his gun against the door, but he was reluctant to fire. He looked around a little bit more- maybe there was a key, or something that he could use to break the door down with. He then shot a look in the direction of the two bloody heaps that were being destroyed by the rabid 'animals', and at the side of one of them was something shining, contrasting greatly against the blood puddled around it.

_'Please be a key. Please.'_

It was rather close to two of the dog-like monsters, but he'd have to grab it- it was his only chance at getting out anyway. Slowly, he creeped behind the two abominations, and pointed his Walther at one of them. And before it could know what was going to happen, a metal slug shot through its side before Adrian kicked it as hard as he possibly could, knocking it over. That gave him the opportunity to grab the item before the other monster could turn to react. When it did react, however, it didn't look happy.

The shot monster slowly limped up onto its four legs and let out a loud howl. The other monsters turned at this, and noticed Adrian just in time to see him run across the room for the locked door, key in hand.

He was running so hard that he nearly crashed into the door. He put on the breaks, and quickly thumbed the key into the slot. He turned it. Success.

_'Fuck yeah!'_

He had to pull the door open- in doing so, he backed up right into a diving dog which headbutted him right in the small of his back. It had also headbutted him through the doorway and out into the hall. He stumbled against the far wall and turned- the door he was sent through was still swinging open, and the abnormal thing that bashed into him had circled around to make another advance, while the others pushed and shoved to get through the small doorway.

Adrian glared at the monsters fighting to get towards him, but he was up and quickly reached for the door, pulling it closed- crushing the neck of one of the monsters that was unfortunate enough to be caught in between the slamming door and the wall.

"Come on," Adrian said through gritted teeth as he held the doorknob tight with one hand, "die already.."

He pocketed his weapon, and soon moved to both hands wrapped around the cold material. Slowly, he lifted a foot and pressed it against the monster's face. And with a gulp, Adrian let off the door for a moment only to slam it harshly against the thing's neck again.

"Die already, for fuck's sake!" He began to grow more and more impatient as he repeated this action, again and again, until finally it slumped backwards in defeat- allowing the door to close for good.

Adrian stepped back and breathed heavily, trying to regain his composure. He practically forgot about the jolt of pain to his back, which had been instantly overcome with adrenaline. He looked around for a moment, and smiled. He was back in the main hall. Just as he begun walking, CRASH! The sound of shattered glass echoed throughout the place.

"Ugh!" Adrian whirled around at the sound. "What the hell was that?" He stood paused, gun trained on the door down the hall- the one he just left, but no more sounds came.

"Adrian?"

Cybil found herself lost. She entered a stairwell, but upon turning to leave she found the door locked. She would wander up to the second floor which seemed incredibly dilapidated, even compared to the condition of the first floor. The tiles under her feet seemed to have taken water damage, and the walls were decorated with a dry crimson paint that obviously wasn't really paint.

She came across a couple doors, but with a room number on each, there was also some kind of word under each. Although they were tough to read and the words were spelled in a manner that made Cybil question to herself whether she was reading them right- but she was.

201  
'Hagith'

202  
'Phaleg'

203  
'Ophiel'

204  
'Bethor'

205  
'Aratron'

206  
'Och'

207  
'Phul'

Cybil looked at each door, and frowned. Those weren't exactly things you would normally see on a hospital room door. And as if that wasn't bad enough, there was the sound of movement from behind one of the doors. Cybil glanced at them, and saw a shadow moving from the light on the other side of the source.

205  
'Aratron'

"Adrian?" Cybil pushed the door open, and quickly backed up a step as she pulled her gun from her holster. A large pool of blood seeped out from the room and creeped towards Cybil's feet. As for the rest of the room, it was bathed in darkness. There was one light in the room, however- a small desklight that flickered over an open book. Next to the light was another item, its shadow the size of the average hand. All three items rested on a rickety wooden desk.

Cybil cautiously strafed over to it and peered at the writing on the page the journal was turned to.

8/11/89

'I put one of the needles to my wrist again last night, but like the nights before that I couldn't bring myself to actually use it. Even if the situation with Raven is hopeless, I can't give up. What if she's still alive? And what if she needs me?

I managed to get some of the medicine from a guy who seemed a little more than helpful in the creepy sense. What puts me on edge even more, though, is that he only gave it to me because I took a vase from him. And I thought I heard of every deal possible, but this guy didn't want money or anything valuable for it, instead he asked me to take something else off his hands. Never thought that would happen, but why do I feel that I just made some kind of mistake?'

8/18/89

'I don't consider myself in any way, shape or form unnerved by the paranormal. I am a firm believer in rationality over spirituality, but this certainly takes the cake. A week after having that stupid vase and now I cannot sleep. As if I couldn't sleep before, now I have nightmares of seeing Raven and finding that she's turned into something different, something far beyond the darkest thoughts imaginable. I never looked at her to be so evil, but this never happened until I took that vase... and after putting no flowers into it my house has been smelling like jasmine. I don't know what explanation to give for this, although I wish I had at least looked to see what was actually inside the vase when that guy gave it to me...'

That was the end of that page. Cybil slowly reached forward and turned to the next one, and only found one entry, which was an unsettingly brief one.

8/20/89

'Yesterday I took the vase to someone who I thought could help explain the items inside the vase and whether or not they correlated with these reoccuring nightmares. Surely enough, I was told that in Jewish folklore there was a monster called a Dibbuk, that could enter the body of a living person and'

That was it. It was from the same person who wrote the journal in the Director's Office downstairs, which was obvious through the same handwriting and the mentioning of his daughter. The last entry looked especially rushed from the gradually growing erratic words that were scrawled onto the paper.

"Intense..." Cybil muttered to herself, and it was the only word she could put it in. The whole ordeal she was in was simply intense for that matter, but things would soon get even more intense.

Looking to her right, she saw in item on the desk the wasn't brightened by the light next to it. She reached over and shined the light on it, and cringed- a small, innocent looking vase rested right in front of her.

She stared at it longingly- curiousity ended up winning the battle with her conscience, and she put her gun away for a moment so she could reach inside it.

_'-although I wish I had at least looked to see what was actually inside the vase when that guy gave it to me.'_

_'-although I wish I had at least looked to see what was actually inside the vase when that guy gave it to me.'_

_'-althoughintheendiwishforoneandonlyoneholyspiritifindmyselftorninto-'_

Cybil gasped as she quickly threw her hand back and caused the vase to fall over and shatter on the ground.

"Ugh!" Adrian whirled around at the sound. "What the hell was that?" He stood paused, gun trained on the door down the hall- the one he just left, but no more sounds came.

Cybil looked down after the broken vase, almost forgetting what she had clenched in her trembling fist. Unballing her right hand, she shuddered at the sight. Two locks of hair, one blonde, the other black. Before she could so much as drop the hair to the ground, something smashed against the back of her head and sent her stomach first against the desk, and had eventually caused her to crumble backwards to the floor.


	20. Confide

Chapter 20: Confide

Adrian smiled as he found himself back in the hospital lobby. The lack of Cybil did not worry him, or even occur to him; as far as he was concerned, she was still looking in other rooms. Besides, there was also the picture on the wall behind the receptionist desk that had his full attention. "Hmm..."

He hopped over the desk to get a closer look at what was on the wall. A rather well drawn out map that seemed to cover every room in the hospital, from the basement to the third floor. Adrian's eyes quickly scanned the section of the first floor, and frowned- no room 105 in sight.

"Huh?" He was in disbelief. There was a 205 and 305, but no 105. Not something that Adrian had expected.

"Great.. another joke. That's really great. Frickin' priceless." He figured in retrospect that he shouldn't have been so surprised; that Sam would not have gave up his possible hiding place like that. However, there was also the wonder that perhaps there was a room 105. He looked at rooms 205 and 305. Maybe they would lead to something?

It was unlikely, but it was better than just giving up. Besides, there were other rooms that could have held clues as to a room 105. He managed to get the map out of the frame it was posted in, but it drifted out of his hands the moment he turned around.

A woman in a nurse outfit was slumped over the desk, seated in a rolling chair that seemed like it had much better days. It creaked and crackled under the woman's weight as she shifted forward in movement, and it was more than enough to get Adrian to back off.

He looked wearily at the woman, as she slowly began to rise to her feet. Adrian slowly lifted his weapon, but quickly put it back down- it was a woman... he couldn't possibly raise his weapon to her. That was his chain of thought, until the woman turned around.

It looked like she had been burnt to a crisp- her face was blackened to near ashes. Adrian quickly trained his gun on the woman, and without a second thought, he fired.

Instead of blood, the single bullet that impacted the nurse's head, caused it to explode into a rain of ashes. Black snow fluttered through the air in the wake of the gun blast, and Adrian turned his head away, to spare himself the sight of the headless body that slumped to the ground at his feet. He took a deep breath in an attempt to collect his bearings, before he promptly hopped over the desk and walked with purpose through the hallway.

The gunshot jarred Cybil awake, and much to her dismay, she found only her head movable. She was stuck, tied to a chair via some kind of red stained cloth. They tied to her wrists, her ankles, and her torso. Before she could mutter a question as to where she was, however, something spoke for her.

"Awake, miss Bennett?"

Cybil's eyes darted around the room. She was in the same room she was standing in before she got knocked out, which was a relief. But something was different about it, and that something she had immediately taken notice to.

She watched the womanly figure that sat at the desk not to far away from her. She had something in her hands, which she cradled in her lap as if it were a child. Cybil only saw what it was when the woman turned in her seat to face her, and found the vase that she had just inspected. Lips curled into a snarl, the woman who had expected Cybil to answer had spoke again.

"Alive, miss Bennett?"

Cybil's eyes narrowed in defiance. Her gun was still in her holster, if only she could wriggle a hand out of her restraints to get it.

Raven stood up, and set the vase on the desk where it once rested. "Why are you here, miss Bennett?" She looked into Cybil's eyes as she asked the question, and once again, she seemed to expect an answer. "What is your purpose? Your reason for being here..." Cybil kept quiet, and Raven's expression turned to a disappointed frown.

"I would have thought you finished your job all those years ago, on your missing person's case." Cybil's eyes widened. How did she know about that? She wouldn't have to wait long for the answer. Cybil tried to get a good look at the woman's face, but the darkness would not allow it. All Cybil could make out was the imposing silhouette that stood in front of her.

"Yes," Raven said with a smirk, sensing the confusion Cybil gave off, "I know all about you, miss Bennett. I've heard all kinds of things about you. Why come back?" Cybil gave no answer. Raven sighed. "Oh, still being silent, are we? Well, I know you can hear me, so I guess I'll just talk some more until you feel ready to exchange conversation."

"You know, I would have thought you found your purpose then, but apparently you find yourself sick with grief. You failed then, didn't you? Found the one you were looking for, just a little too late, isn't that right?" Raven snickered at the thought, but Cybil held firm and bit her bottom lip. She refused to speak, or say anything to further alienate herself for the pleasure of the woman in front of her. "You failed with Harry, too. Your whole life, you've failed, and your fate has you destined to fail. You only work because you hope that one day you won't fail and that maybe your one successful case can bring you happiness over how many times you've fucked up in life. It's too bad, though, because you'll only fuck up again. But you know that, I think. In the back of your mind, you do." Noticing Cybil still wasn't going to speak, Raven shook her head.

"You owe me a lot, miss Bennett." Raven turned and took the vase from the desk. She then set it in front of Cybil, allowing her to get more than a good enough look at it. "You owe me a lot."

Adrian ran up the stairwell to the second floor. It wasn't exactly a race against time, but Adrian sure didn't feel the same way. The rotted wooden stairs proved to be a hassle to him on the way up- his stomping feet crunched through some of the termite abused surface, and scratched away at Adrian's ankles through his black jeans. He trudged on, however- the pain had been blocked out long ago, and he was going to find what he was looking for no matter what the cost.

"What? I owe you what?" Cybil broke the silence, out of sheer frustration. She was tired of being put through the mind games that Raven dealt her, and the mind games that the whole town had dealt her, for that matter. "Come on, what did I do that makes me owe you? I owe you shit."

Raven looked at the blonde haired woman in shock. "...You cursed.." Raven tried not to smirk, but she flashed a smile anyway. This didn't last long, though, as she went right back to talking. "Yes, you do owe me. You owe me enough to succeed in doing one thing for me."

Cybil stared at Raven, nothing more than puzzled. "What? What do you want from me?"

Adrian made it to the second floor, and it quickly became obvious that he wasn't alone. A group of women in bloodied nurse uniforms were limping slowly in his direction. And the one in the front of the group had a steel pipe clenched in its right hand. Before Adrian could react, the 'woman' swung it at him.

"I want you, to tell Adrian, that I need to speak with him." Raven spoke every word with devotion- as if some kind of dark intent was behind each syllable. "I need to speak with him over something very important." Every word came out of her mouth almost as though she was talking to a little child. "And if I don't get to talk to him, something very bad is going to happen."

Cybil stared back at her attacker in bewilderment. "What is so important that you have to say to him?"

Raven thought about the question, before she smiled a sinister smile. "Well... we can keep it between us. As long as I get to be the one who tells him. Okay?"

"You either tell me and expect me to relay everything to him, or you tell me nothing."

Adrian took the full on hit of the blunt pipe right in the ribs. He coughed and clutched his stomach, before he grimaced and pulled his gun out of his pocket. He backed away just in time as the abomination swung at him again. It missed and stumbled towards him further, only for Adrian to send it to the ground with one, two, three, four nine millimeter rounds. Adrian took a deep breath, before he looked up and found that he wasn't out of the woods yet; there were three other nurses waiting to attack.

Raven frowned, and dismissed Cybil's remark with a shrug of the shoulders. "Have it your way." She turned to leave, but then she stopped suddenly. "Oh." She turned and pulled something from her kimono, and left it in Cybil's lap. "It'd be a pity to leave you empty handed, however. I suppose I can trust you to give that to him for me. That should fill in enough gaps in my darling's head." Raven undid the strap on one of Cybil's wrists, which allowed Cybil to untie herself and examine the item more closely. When she let the meaning of the object sink in, Cybil looked up for answers.

"Where did you-" she cut herself off upon the realization that Raven was gone.

Adrian tackled one of the women to the ground, and did not hesitate as he pounded in her face with his right hand. The two nurses that stood above him almost looked indifferent as he bashed away on the nearly rendered helpless figure, before her death spasms finally stopped.

He stopped his bloodied fist as he raised it in the air, and looked down at what he had been hitting- what was once a pretty face, had been tarnished with red rivers and black bruises. Adrian almost looked deep into his soul to question why he had struck the woman, until he was brought out of his trance by the other two uniformed women.

He was grabbed by his hair and pulled to his feet. The woman then began to choke the life out of him, while she turned him around to face the other woman nearby. Adrian, in gasping breaths, stared in horror as the woman pulled a gun from underneath her skirt. That revealing made Adrian struggle all the more to break free. And just as he did was when the _BLAM_ sounded.

Adrian hit the floor in heavy breaths, before he scampered away from the twosome on all fours. When he turned to look at them, he found that the one that tried to strangle him had fallen over from a stray bullet to the stomach. Adrian sighed in relief to find no bullet hole turning him into swiss cheese. However, he was not in the clear yet.

The woman with the pistol had registered the missed shot in her mind, and slowly turned to face Adrian once more. It was when she slowly lifted her gun once more, though, that got Adrian running down the hall and into the darkness.

_'201... 203.... 205!'_

He dove into the room, and closed the door quickly behind him. And the first thing he did after catching his breath was look around to see if there was anything out of the ordinary. There wasn't anything. "Son of a..."

Free from her restraints, Cybil looked at the object in her hands. She turned it around and looked at the back of it, in an attempt to find anything else that stuck out.

Adrian creaked the door open as softly as possible, and tried to pinpoint where that woman was. It was hard to cut through the darkness, but the one dim light in the hallway that worked had helped somewhat. She wasn't in close sight- if she was still around at all, she had to be at the end of the hall.

If he ran it, maybe he would get by.. but she had a gun... and Adrian could safely bet that it was still loaded. It wouldn't be smart to just run on a hunch with someone armed outside.

Adrian stuck his body halfway out of the door, and trained his gun down the hall. He fired one shot, and then another shortly after. Both muzzle blasts illuminated the hallway but only momentarily, and the short light radius didn't help much either. But if the woman was still in the area, she'd have to have heard the blasts; and she would probably wander in his direction sooner than later.

Three minutes of waiting later, and there was still no other noise that followed. Adrian tip toed fully into the hall. One step at a time, he cautiously moved forward, and he would not stop until he got back to the stairwell. And before he knew it, there it was- the door that led to the stairs had slowly squeaked open.

Adrian stood frozen in terror- he waited a few feet away from the door, to see what would emerge. But to his relief, there was nothing. With a gulp, Adrian forced himself onward, and with a final lunge he stopped in front of the open doorway with his gun pointed at the stairs that led up to the third floor. Nothing.

He smiled at his temporary safety, until something got him to turn to his left down the rest of the hall, and there it was- a shadow from behind the open door, and it was moving his way.

"Oh my God..." he reached out and grabbed the doorknob before he practically dove into the stairwell and pulled the door with him. Whether it was the woman with the gun, that pyramid head, or something else.. it was wrestling with the doorknob on the other side- and it wanted on Adrian's side of the door. Badly.

"Shit! Stop! Stop!" He yelled freely, but it wasn't to anyone in particular. He'd come to realize that whoever was trying to get to him was not going to be friendly, and wasn't going to listen to any pleads that he had to say. And that was what brought Adrian to more extreme measures.

With one hand latched in a sweaty death grip around the doorknob, his other hand placed the barrel of his Walther to the door, before he fired every last round in the gun until all that was left was smoke and silence. And when that was over with, the doorknob rattled no more.

When he reached the third floor, when he reached room 305, he dropped to his knees in exhaustion. Whatever was behind that door would either give him answers, or lead him back to square one, again. With one last ounce of strength, he leaned up to push the door open, but the door opened from the other side for him. Adrian lifted his weapon swiftly, and before he could get a glimpse of who or what was on the other side, he pulled the trigger.

_Click click._

Adrian soon quietly thanked his lucky stars for his unloaded handgun as Cybil stepped into the hallway, and kneeled down in front of him. "I told you to know who you're shooting."

Adrian nodded and spoke with empty lungs. "I know, I know, won't happen again."

Cybil frowned, before she dismissed the mistake. At least they both hadn't paid for it. Cybil handed an item to Adrian, pointing at it passively. "Take a look at that. Some woman wanted you to see it."

Adrian took his flashlight and replaced it in his hand for his weapon, and used the light to see the item in his other hand. And as he examined it, his jaw slowly dropped. "Wh.. what?"

A black and white photograph, and only two people were depicted in it- but those two people, they were more than noticeable. On the left was Raven Dremora, and looking into her eyes as he held her hand, was Adrian Mason.

Adrian leaned forward, and fell into Cybil who supported him. She took his shoulders and eased him back, trying to help him regain his senses. "Adrian? Are you alright?"

The flashlight hit the floor, and Adrian rubbed his forehead. "No.."

_'Oh the sweet sugar saves me_

_It's the room that confines me_

_Confines me...'_

His voice led the pluck of guitars and beat of the snare drums in his head. However, as pleasant as the melody was meant to be, the headache it gave Adrian was not exactly the greatest feeling in the world. Yeah, he filled in some of the gaps, and it did not feel as good as he hoped it would.


	21. Crescendo

Chapter 21: Crescendo

"We have to go." Cybil offered a hand to help Adrian up from the dirty floor, but Adrian refused. What he was trying to remember was more important.

"I can't yet," he mumbled back helplessly, "I need to figure this out now, before I lose it again."

As much as Cybil would be for that, she wasn't for it in the place they found themselves in. "You're not helping yourself any by staying here. We'll head back to the hotel room and we can talk about it there, while we get some actual rest. Come on.. this isn't doing you any good."

Adrian frowned and slowly nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah... yeah, you're right, I guess." He pushed off the floor and rose to his feet. "Some rest would do us both some good."

The drive back to the hotel was a quiet one. Cybil was too busy watching the fog and Adrian was too busy checking the photo, which left no room for either of them to say much of anything. The few words Adrian did mutter from his mouth, though, were to himself- as if by some chance, he could help sort things out if he went through every plausible theory aloud. In the end, however, there wasn't much for him to figure out.

When they arrived to the designated safe house, Adrian crashed onto the sort of comfortable bed he made his for the brief stay. Cybil sat on the edge of the other bed and untied her boots. "Ah, that's much better." She smiled softly and laid back on the bed, drifting off to sleep rather easily. Adrian gave her a glance, and tilted his head in confusion. He had no clue how she could sleep so easy after all that. Maybe next time she woke up he could ask her for advice on that, but until then Adrian was busy still looking over the photo.

_'In or out? Up or down?  
__Never know, it's an illusion  
__'Round and 'round, on and on  
__Everyday spins my confusion'  
  
__'Not again, not again, not again  
__This dream, I can't awake  
__What is real, what is real, what is real?  
__It's getting hard for me to take  
__What I need, what I need, what I need  
__The little something I delight  
__And the white sugar gently hides me'_

Adrian sang the song with the rest of his band providing the proper melody to back him up. The bar was pretty empty- Adrian and his band weren't exactly famous yet, but they never really were anyway. The few people that listened, though seemed to be having a good time. And that was all that was really needed. Afterall, a little less than a hundred people having fun was much better than drawing in thousands that were having a shitty time.

As the song drew to a close and the band took their bows to signal the end of their set, Adrian could notice someone over at the bar on his left. A young woman, who's back was to him. Still, she seemed familiar, in some odd manner.

The clapping of the people in the club seemed to take second place compared to the woman Adrian had his eye on. He dropped down from the small stage and calmly walked past people, people that slapped fives with him while they were in his reach.

"Hey, 'scuse me, miss.."

He stopped in his tracks as the woman turned around to face him, and she smiled at the sight of him.

"You sounded beautiful up there." The woman pushed her raven black hair from her face and gently smiled at the man dressed in black.

"Thanks..." he trailed off, making time to look over the woman he was talking to. It didn't take long for him to recognize her.

"It's been awhile," she said, "hasn't it?"

Adrian looked at her in silence for a moment, mouth agape, before he was able to make a reply. "Yeah, yeah it has. I see.. I see you got out of that place, too."

"Uh huh..." she trailed off, slowly releasing the grip on the glass she had been drinking from to show off her palms to him, "I sort of hurt my hands when I tried to leave, though."

There was a scar on each of her hands, and both of them were pretty big. "What happened?" Adrian asked at the sight of them, to which Raven replied somberly.

"They didn't want me to leave. They said I would be safer with them. But you and I know that that's not true, right?" She giggled softly, and Adrian nodded. He knew all too well what she meant, and she had it much worse than he did.

"Say, now that you're out of there also, you and I should celebrate."

"Celebrate what?" Raven blinked in question. Adrian smiled, as if he thought she would never ask.

"Being free?" Raven thought about that, and her smile widened.

Little did Adrian know at the time, but vandalism- as illegal as it was, was rather fun. Liberating. The giddy pair broke a couple windows, scampered through backyards, and spray painted the sides of a few buildings.

"I never thought I could have so much fun like this!" Raven giggled, stopping her mischief momentarily to tend to adjusting her pink ribbon. Adrian laughed and led her further through the streets, until they stopped over a bridge. They both sat on the edge, legs dangling over the side, and peered down into Westford Creek beneath them. After a moment of talk, they both decided to climb down to the creek, and get a closer look.

And there they were. Raven skipped a pebble or two along the clear water, while Adrian painted something along the side of the bridge. 'Night of the Heavens' he wrote in a dark blue, and used black and white to illustrate a night sky to the best of his ability. "Whaddya think?" Raven turned around and looked at the masterpiece, and gave her good friend a thumbs up in appreciation.

The two teenagers then walked out into an open field. Nothing in sight. No people, no cars... just them and the grass that swayed to the nighttime winds. The two of them looked at eachother, and both of them grinned.

The teenagers ran full speed through the field, and loved every moment. It made them both feel incredibly at ease. There was no other care in the world but for that moment, which seemed to bring nothing but joy to them both.

"I can't believe I've missed having a life like this as a child." Raven outstreched her arms as she spun around freely through the open field.

Adrian smiled and jogged towards her. "Feels good, right?"

Raven nodded in return. "Yeah." Now standing practically inches away from eachother, Adrian couldn't help himself- he leaned in and kissed Raven gently on the lips.

They both pulled softly at eachother's clothes, but Adrian put a stop to it as he pointed into the distance. "Over there..." There, Raven saw a huge neon sign that looked as if it reached the sky. 'Lakeview Hotel', it read. All they had to do was walk around the lake that was in front of them.

They held hands all the way to the hotel, sneaking eachother quick pecks on the cheek as they went. When they got there, the place was as desolate as the other buildings that were near it. "No wonder they call the place Silent Hill," Adrian laughed, "come on, let's go."

He walked into the hotel, Raven following quickly behind him. The place was darkly lit, and wasn't exactly a place that the duo wouldn't have really went at it in, but neither one of them felt like walking all the way elsewhere. And it would prove to be an adventure...

Adrian backed Raven towards the closest door and they pushed themselves on in. Adrian could remember the number of the room distinctly.

'105'

Their clothes came off and they both fell to the bed, and before long it was morning.

When Adrian awoke, he looked at the woman that lay next to him under the covers of what was a rather cozy bed. He sat up and leaned over to grab his pants that were along the floor with the rest of his clothes that were strewn throughout the room. And it was while he threw his pants back on, that he gave Raven one more look- and a thought he didn't want to think had jogged his memory.

'Maria... dammit.'

They had been going out for months at the time. How could he have been so stupid to forget about something like that?

He moved over to a chair near the bed that Raven was sleeping comfortably in, and sat in it. "So stupid," he mumbled, "shit, what am I gonna do?"

The next time Adrian awoke, he looked up at the woman who had slightly nudged his shoulder. "You were having a bad dream, that's all." Cybil moved back over to her bed and sat down, and Adrian smiled in appreciation of being woken up. He remained wide awake the rest of the night, and he didn't dare try to sleep again.

Cybil was up at seven AM, and was somewhat alarmed to find that Adrian was up before her. He sat stoically on his bed, and upon noticing Cybil sitting up, he looked over and nodded. "Mornin'."

Cybil yawned and stood up. "Good morning." She grabbed her boots that were by her feet, and slipped them on. "Were you up all night?"

Adrian shrugged. "Sort of."

They both walked around the hotel room, getting freshened up. Cybil leaned over the bathroom sink, washing her hands as she called out to Adrian in the main room. "Any place we should try today?"

Adrian nodded his head, but when he realized that Cybil couldn't see him, he sounded off his reply. "Lakeview Hotel."

"The hotel? Why the hotel?"

"I had a dream about it. And I doubt that it was just a dream."

Adrian could hear the water in the bathroom stop running, and he turned only to see Cybil have her head stuck out into the doorway. The look on her face said it all. "What?" Adrian asked. Cybril frowned.

"Sorry."

Adrian shook his head. "It's okay. Let's just get ready and go, alright?"

Soon, they were off on their way to their destination. Over time, Cybil grew to know every shortcut to Silent Hill- studying every street to the spelling of every name. They would arrive at the hotel in ten minutes, give or take a minute or two. However, things would be deterred quickly.

A shadowy figure was spotted by Adrian, as it headed inside of a building. "Wait," Adrian said, getting Cybil's attention, "stop the car."

Adrian pointed to the building, and Cybil parked the police vehicle right out in front. It didn't take much more for Adrian to leave the car.

"Adrian?" Cybil climbed out after him, and they both approached the store. Adrian looked up and caught the sign over the door: 'Indian Runner'. Adrian's eyes trailed down to the doorknob, and he felt himself grow further annoyed. A large lock on the door barred entrance. That didn't stop Adrian from pulling out his gun and loading it, though.

"Don't even think about it!" Cybil's words fell on deaf ears as Adrian popped in the last bullet that would fit into the clip, slapped it into the weapon, and fired. Two bullets pierced the lock, and it fell to the pavement with a clank. Adrian looked at Cybil, and smirked before he shoved the door open.

He pointed his gun everywhere, surveying all of his surroundings, until he came upon the realization that the place was empty. "Goddammit..."

Cybil stood in the open front doorway, a humbled look on her face. "Adrian..."

Adrian turned and looked at his friend, speaking in protest. "I saw someone come in here, I'm sure." He continued to look through things, determined to find someone, even if it was pretty apparent that there was nothing.

It was by sheer curiousity that Adrian read one of the papers on the disheveled front counter. On it, was erratic handwriting in bold black marker.

_'Girlfriend killed, found baby-_

_Kill her?'_

Adrian stared at the paper, but he didn't have much time to think about it. "Adrian!" He turned around, and found Cybil running through the store to the back. She ran out of the back door, and she looked back at the young adult with an extreme sense of urgency. "Hurry up!" Adrian ran for the door, and looked out into the distance. Along the docks behind the store, a figure in black was undoing the rope keeping a large boat to the docks, before the figure climbed on.

"That's gotta be him!" He ran for the ship as it slowly began to pull away from the docks.

"Hold on!" Cybil yelled, but it was too late as Adrian ran full speed down the docks, and dove for a railing in reach- one which he just barely got. Cybil sighed and ran after him, and she managed to grab a railing as well.

_'We shouldn't be doing this...'_

When they both climbed safely over onto the boat, they looked back at the dry land at the same time, until there was nothing more than fog in its place.


	22. Fear

Chapter 22: Fear

That wasn't the situation Adrian normally would've wanted in on. Stuck on a boat, in the middle of nowhere. With a captain nowhere in sight. No, it wasn't very fun at all.

"What do we do now?" Cybil's voice creaked as she asked the most obvious question out there. Adrian dismissed it with a wave of his shoulders.

"I dunno."

Cybil shook her head and bit her bottom lip in an attempt to not say anything drastic. She was supposed to be the one that kept order, not to be the one that yelled and screamed. "Well, I'll check all the cabins, you walk around to the other s-"

"Starboard side," Adrian cut her off, "I gotcha." Adrian walked farther out ahead, almost out of Cybil's sight. She squinted through the fog to get one more glimpse of him.

"You sound like you did more than sing for your band in the past," Cybil called after him. She took note to his confident swagger as he moved around the side of the boat.

"My dad took me on boats like this when I was a kid." He walked out of Cybil's field of view. "I always got sick five minutes into riding on one."

_'That wasn't exactly a comforting thought,' _Cybil thought with a frown. She would've protested, if Adrian weren't already doing what she had told him.

Adrian smiled as he picked up the shotgun from its stand on the wall of the captain's room. Yes, he had been told to stay outside, but he couldn't necessarily resist when he saw the powerful weapon through the window. The mere aura it gave off... the sense of feeling important when he pumped the barrel and gleefully shuddered at the sound of the weapon's readiness.

The feeling of power.

He walked out of the room and pointed the weapon towards the starboard side of the boat, and watched the woman behind the steering wheel in silence.

Cybil walked down a small flight of stairs and into a narrow hallway. There weren't many places to go and it wasn't easy to get lost- a small boat left room for only three cabins down below. She opened the door closest to her with a low creak; the light in the hallway filtered into the room and allowed Cybil to look around.

One step into the room, and she quickly slipped. One hand gripped the nearby part of the doorway, and she just managed to keep her bearings while she leaned down to pick up what was under her feet- a newspaper. With the flash of a half smile, she backed into the hallway under the comforting light, and began to read.

**'The Little Baroness Comes Home: In A Very Bad Manner'**

'TOLUCA LAKE  
Many tourists long time inhabitants of this town had been hit hard when the news that the small boat entitled 'The Little Baroness' had disappeared just over twenty years ago, and finally, their loved ones are hit with a shocking confirmation.'

'The boat crashed into the back of Harbor Inn late last night, and aboard the ship were the bodies of all twenty two occupants of the boat before it left on what was a planned three hour tour around the outskirts of the town. No one inside the building was injured at the time. The person, or people who caused the deaths are unknown, but most bodies were found crudely beheaded, and others seemed to be shot repeatedly. No guns were found on the boat, and the police are currently looking for fingerprints on any sharp tools that may have been used in this cruel act.'

'However, the question of who could, or would have done such a thing is the big mystery. The records on the boat showed only twenty two people on board and twenty two bodies were found, no body more or less butchered than any other.'

'A memorial will be placed in Rosewater Park in memory of these unfortunate victims.'

"Twenty years ago..." Cybil searched the paper for a date, and when she found it, her eyes bugged out.

'October 23, 1939'

"What are you doing?" Adrian asked. He didn't get an answer.

"I saw the note in the Indian Runner." He waited, as if he expected the woman to turn around at his claim- but she did not. "Was that you who wrote it?"

Raven didn't turn her head, nor did she even make a gesture that she was listening to a word Adrian had said. Soon, though, she gave a blunt answer. "Wrote what?"

"You know what I'm talking about." Adrian approached Raven slowly, cautiously, his shotgun raised. His bottom lip quivered, and he bit down on it gently to keep it from continuing. "Whose baby are you plannin' to kill?"

At that point, the barrel of the imposing weapon had started to nudge uneasily against the back of Raven's head. Slowly, she raised her hands from the wheel they had once clung to, and turned around. "I don't know what you are talking about, sweetheart."

"Oh yeah?" Adrian pulled back on the weapon and held it up so that Raven had literally found herself staring down the barrel of a gun. "I'd bet you a million dollars, that you do." His words were spoken with a cold sneer- if there was any time that Adrian would have pulled the trigger on another human, that moment could surely contend to be one of those times. "I'd bet your life that you do."

Raven didn't seem to be very threatened by the gun's presence, however. In fact, she appeared so at ease, it creeped Adrian out. Something was different about her- when he first saw her, she was so eager to help him out. But from the moment he saw her in the hospital, he knew she wasn't the same person.

"What are you going to do," Raven prodded, "are you going to shoot me?" She smirked, and took a quick peek over her shoulder. "Do you know how to take control of a boat, honey?" The sound in her voice caused Adrian to glance past her and to the waters ahead, and there, his heart felt like it fell out of his body. A large group of rocks stood in the way of the boat, and there was nowhere near enough time for him, or even Raven, to steer them out of harm's way. Adrian rolled his eyes, and Raven's smirk widened.

Cybil felt ready to puke by the end of that article. What a newspaper from the thirties was doing on a boat now, she had no idea. No idea except for one, and it wasn't one she wanted to be thinking.

She then realized that she had been down there for more than she wanted to, and had left Adrian topside. She swiftly shifted her weight and ran upstairs.

Outside, the humid air that generated from the fresh water currents engulfed her senses. She fought the fog and was bound for the front of the boat. When she got there, all she saw was Adrian, staring out into the lake at something she couldn't make out.

"Adrian! Are you okay?" She trotted to him, and upon stopping next to him she could see what his eyes were transfixed on. Her mouth slowly hung open, and her eyes snapped shut.

"She was here." Adrian didn't look to Cybil to utter the three words- he knew she would hear them just as well otherwise. And she did.

"What are you talking about?"

"She was here, Cybil," Adrian echoed, "I saw her."

Cybil's eyes opened. She then pointed to their right. "We have to get off this thing, now!" Before Adrian could realize what was going on, Cybil ran to the side. One running leap planted her feet on the top railing of the boat, and she used the momentum to propel herself across the large area of water before she landed harshly on the docks to the side.

She rolled to a stop, before she peered through the fog at the boat. Cybil had no clue if it was the low field of vision that was playing tricks on her or she had just grown paranoid overtime, but as her eyes traced the mass that drifted by, she could swear that read 'Little Baroness' in big black letters along the side.

"_Cybil!_" Adrian watched in horror at Cybil's leap, and couldn't imagine doing the same thing himself. Once she was in midair, she was completely gone- as if the fog swallowed her whole. That seasick feeling from his childhood almost reared its ugly head.

Adrian glanced back at the rocks ahead.

_'Come on, sissy...'_

He turned back to where Cybil's silhouette had cut into the fog. And there, the fog subsided- just enough for Adrian to see Cybil climbing to her feet at the docks below.

_'You're going to DIE...'_

With a growl, he ran along the back of the boat; as far as he could possibly go in order to get the shortest distance before his jump as possible. With the shotgun still clenched in both hands, he vaulted up to a lower railing with one foot and used that power to get his other foot to the highest point.

_'JUMP!'_

And there, on a spot of something red, he slipped.

His body wavered in the air, but there was no stopping. He held the shotgun overhead, and chucked it with all of his strength. Below, Cybil caught it in her arms like a wide reciever catching a football. There, she looked back as her friend's body twisted around in the air. She flinched.

_'Come on, you're gonna make it, you gotta make it.'_

As Adrian turned to the boat he jumped from, he saw the reason his footing troubled him, and how he hadn't noticed it before, he didn't know. Whether it was there before or not, however, wasn't the case. The fact was, at that moment, the entire boat- exterior and all- was bathed in crimson. And Adrian doubted that stuff was paint. He didn't have much time to doubt though, and he knew that. He turned to prepare landing on the docks, when he felt a sharp jolt in his left side.

He exhaled a deep exhale, the wind knocked out of him entirely. He looked over how he landed, and suddenly wasn't so surprised at the painful results. He edge of the docks was tucked under his left arm- the only thing that kept him up. He instinctively spat to the side into the water below, letting a wad of bloodied saliva travel to the depths underneath him.

Cybil blinked and waited for a second, to see if Adrian could make it up on his own. It was dreadfully obvious that he couldn't. She quickly knelt down, placing the large gun at her side before she reached for Adrian's hand, but it was too late. She couldn't tell if Adrian simply gave up or something gave him a tug, but before she knew it he was gone, underwater.

Adrian fell lifelessly into the water. A red mist trailed out of his mouth and created a small crimson decoration in the water nearby.

_'Ugh, snap out of it, man.'_

His eyes narrowed slightly as his legs slowly started to kick for the surface. It was then that something drifted towards him. Something black.

The first thing Adrian thought was that it was Raven's kimono- he hadn't known if she got off the boat in time or not even though he secretly hoped so, if only to get the answers to his questions. Either way, though, it wasn't Raven floating towards him, and he noticed that when the object brushed against his stomach.

He reached down and grabbed it, lifting it to his face to get a good look at it, and there his eyes took on a look of confusion. A small, black duffel bag.

His hands searched for a zipper and they soon found one. He yanked on it and slid the bag open. Moments later, he quickly wished he hadn't.

Adrian tried to let out a scream, but only bubbles of water formed instead. He pushed the bag away from him, but that only caused the rotten hand that was inside to drift closer. Something else was half in and half out of the bag but Adrian didn't stick around long enough to check, nor did he want to. He kicked and tried to part the water with his hands as hard as possible, just as one after another, more bags the same size began to float in his proximity.

The second he reached the surface, he yelled.

"Oh, God." Cybil heard Adrian's yelling, and looked over the edge of the docks to see his choked face, gasping for air. She reached over as far as possible. "Grab my hand!" Adrian looked up to find Cybil trying to pull him up. He lifted both hands- one to rub the water out of his eyes, and the other to take Cybil's hand. When his eyes ceased in stinging him, he used his other hand to grab one of the support beams to the docks as help to pull himself to Cybil.

"Hurry, please," Adrian pleaded quietly, "get me the hell outta here."

Cybil used all of her strength to get Adrian up next to her. He coughed and wheezed as the adrenaline in his body forced him to his feet. "There's something down there.. these, these fucking bags, and this one had a hand in it. I swear to God they were down there..."

Cybil raised her hands, and motioned them for Adrian to calm down. "I believe you, it's okay. I believe you."

"Yeah..." Adrian pulled at the sides of his pants, which were now drenched and clinging to him like his shirt. "Yeah, I hope so." He pulled off his boots, and shook out any water that had seeped inside. "Son of a bitch, this sucks."

Cybil smiled. As much as they had endured, she was glad that Adrian wasn't badly hurt. "Well, it could be worse."

Adrian placed the boots next to his feet and slicked back his black hair. "How so?"

"Well.. you could be dead."

Adrian thought about that for a second, and then he shrugged. "I guess that's true, too." He walked over and grabbed his shotgun from where Cybil had put it a minute ago. "Did you miss me?" Adrian's eyes remained on the weapon, but only for a second. He looked up only out of curiousity to see what was around him and Cybil, when a neon sign that half-worked blinked out the answer.

'keviw Hote'

To the sound of water dripping, Adrian walked forward. And in the distance, just beyond the sign, was a large building. One that Adrian recognized a little too well.

_'Augh...'_

He dropped to one knee and held his stomach. His shotgun clammered to the partially rotted wood next to him.

_'It's the room that confines me'  
__  
__'It's the room that confines me'  
  
__'It's the room that-'_

"I'm fine," Adrian said, sensing Cybil questioning his well being. She had thought about it, and had walked over to him as if to help him up, but Adrian stood up on his own before she could even do that. Adrian lifted up his weapon and looked over the building ahead. Inside would be the room 105 he was looking for, but before he could approach he was called back.

"Adrian?"

Adrian turned and faced Cybil. "Yeah?"

"Are you going to put your boots back on or are you going to just leave them here?"

Inside, Adrian chuckled to himself. Wouldn't want to forget about those.

"Oh. Oh, right." He headed over and sat down, putting his boots back on with ease.

"Maybe you should wait, or I can give you a ride back to your house and you can get some new clothes?"

Adrian shook his head. "I've been able to deal with all this, I can deal with some wet clothes. Besides, I have a feeling that we shouldn't be taking our time with this."

"What do you mean?"

Adrian finished strapping up his boots and stood up, picking up his shotgun with him. "I need you to do me a favor."

Cybil shrugged. "What is it?"

"Go back to Maria's house. I need to know if she has any birth certificates, blood tests, any type of records that would insinuate that she's had a baby."

"Erm, why?"

"'Cause I think she had one and never told me."

Cybil shook her head, puzzled. "Why wouldn't she have told you?" Adrian glared at Cybil sternly.

"Don't you think I'm trying to figure that one out, myself? Adrian sighed, waiting for Cybil to let the comment sink into her head before he spoke again. "Do me that favor. Please."

Cybil frowned. There wasn't anything she could say that would change Adrian's mind, and with that, she conceded. "Alright, I'll do it."

Adrian moved his lips as if to say 'thank you', but Cybil was already walking away. Adrian smiled after her, and when she was gone, he remembered what he stayed there to do. Purposefully, he made his way towards the hotel.


	23. Prove

Chapter 23: Prove

The barrel of the shotgun was tapped in Adrian's left hand as he walked with it into the hotel. The front door was open, therefore nothing barred him from entrance.

It was dark, just like the hospital. It wasn't fun having to constantly strain his eyes, but he didn't really have much of a choice. His hands were full with the shotgun and he had nothing to rig his flashlight to, which left him stuck in the darkness once again. It was not the greatest feeling in the world.

The lobby was eerily empty. It was, once more, a reimagining of the hospital in a way, or the rest of the town for that matter. But none of that was enough. Adrian would have forced himself to continue, not caring at all for what possible circumstances there could be.

He led himself up the stairs in the front lobby. He did not question his decision for a second; it was as though he knew for a fact that he was going in the proper direction. The steps creaked under Adrian's weight as he moved slowly toward his destination.

Atop of the stairs, he turned to his right. He approached the one door at the end of that side of the hall and attempted to turn the doorknob, but to no avail- it was broken. This did not hold Adrian back for long; a couple of slams from the butt of his shotgun into the doorframe caused the wood to quickly succumb to the blows. Adrian shoved through the splintered wood, and found himself in the hall he wanted to be in. Doors labeled in numbers as far as he could see- and 105 had to be one of those numbers, he was certain.

---

Cybil rushed through the city streets as fast as her police vehicle would possibly go. In her years of chasing vigilantes, she never once pushed that car to the limits it was being pushed to at that point. She gravely disapproved of Adrian's decision for them to split up, especially for her to leave the town while he remained in Silent Hill- possibly in trouble.

"Shouldn't have left him there," she muttered to herself in anger, "I'm supposed to keep everything under control, and I didn't. How many times can I lose control of a situation?"

She had gone so far, it was too late to turn back. If she turned back, it meant that she had left Adrian behind for no reason... nothing important enough to risk such a thing. She was so close to reaching Maria's house, she needed to at least get there and look around. She owed Adrian that. Afterall, he couldn't have just sent her off without a valid enough reason.

---

Adrian looked to one side of the hall. Then the other. It was tough to tell which side was the right one, but he soon found out not from his eyes, but his ears. The sound of a soft cry, and then lullaby that seemed to attempt to drown the cries out more than soothe them away.

"Hush, little baby, don't say a word... mommy's gonna by you a mockingbird."

And then, a giggle. Adrian moved to his right, following the source of the sound as well as he could. The voice the noises were coming from was more than recognizable.

"Your father should be doing this," the voice continued, "he can sing much better than I ever could." Adrian stopped in front of the door that the speaking had been coming from.

"But he's not here right now."

Adrian looked up to find out what door he was standing outside of.

'105'

He almost felt ready to vomit right then and there, but he held strong; even after the crying began again. A baby's cry.

"Hush, little baby, please don't cry... mommy's going to sing you-"

Unable to take anymore, Adrian cut her off with a soft, yet menacing reply.

"Is that my child in there, Raven?"

He didn't get an initial reply. He yelled louder.

"Is that my fucking _child _in there?!"

---

Cybil didn't even bother to park the car and she almost didn't even wait for the car to stop. But the second the parking brake was put on, she flew towards the house. She wouldn't be there long anyway, if that wasn't obvious by the speed she was moving to get into the home.

She pushed the front door open and ran upstairs. By the structure of the house alone, she could guess where anything regarding a baby could be kept. Whether it was natural to her or something acquired from her time on the police force, she didn't know, it wasn't that important to know anyway.

There were five doors in the upstairs part of the Constantine household and two were wide open. The bathroom door that was directly in front of her upon reaching the top of the steps, and Maria's room directly on her right. Those two doors held nothing of interest to her. She checked the one next to the bathroom, and shrugged it off quickly- just the linen closet. She then turned and made her way down the hall to the room next to Maria's. She opened the door, and there was a room that was as untidy as could be, even if the method of its thrashing seemed to be more than just sheer untidyness.

The king sized mattress was overturned, sheets spilled along the wooden floor. Papers and envelops were strewn around in a large abundance. Looked like someone had done all the searching for Cybil could even get the opportunity. With a sigh, Cybil stepped fully into the room and got to looking.

_'Bill. Bill. Lottery ticket, heh. Wow, were bills the only thing they ever saved?'_

She shook her head in dismay and took a step back. It was then that she almost lost her balance, if only for a second. She looked down at her feet, and there she found a small blue toy. Something a child would play with. An infant even.

---

"Is it a boy or a girl, Raven?"

Adrian pressed the side of his face against the door, trying to hear anything at all going on in the room. However, there wasn't much to hear beyond what was meant for him to hear. Nothing. Adrian sighed out of frustration.

"Look, I know it's my kid, okay?" He tugged on the doorknob. No go. "Come on and open the door. Please..." Adrian trailed off there. He was quickly running out of things to say without losing his temper. There was only one thing left, and even though he knew that it would be impossible to express his grief through the mere words, he prayed it would be enough. "I want to see my kid. Open the door and I let you live."

---

Cybil turned and slipped out of Cain's room, only to put herself face to face with the last door she hadn't checked. She pushed it open, and there, her and Adrian's suspicions were answered.

A sky blue colored crib, surrounded by other harmless colors- pinks, whites, yellows.

_'Jackpot.'_

In a flash, Cybil searched through every single cabinet and drawer inside the small room, pushing aside large teddy bears and pink bunny rabbits in the process. And in the end, her keen detective skills won. She smiled in triumph at the birth certificate before her.

'Name: Mia Angelica Constantine  
Date Of Birth: April 3, 2003

Mother: Maria Jezebel Constatine  
Father: Adrian Samuel Weber'

That was more than enough for her to lay her eyes on. With the paper in her hand, she quickly rushed out of the house, surprising herself that she didn't fall over from doing so. She knew she had to tell Adrian as soon as possible- a homicide and a possible kidnapping in the same home didn't leave a good taste in Cybil's mouth.

She threw open the driver door to her car and dove in. She had to get back before anything worse could happen.

---

"The least you can do is answer me, you know."

Adrian closed his eyes, in an attempt to prevent any tears from forming. "You're not going to open the door either, are you?" Slowly, he felt his hands tighten around the shotgun he held to his chest. He pointed it at the door, down at the doorknob to be precise. "If not, I'll get in on my own. Don't tempt me, because I will get in to that room sooner or later. I'd bet on sooner." His trigger finger was rightfully itchy, but not enough to follow through when the voice on the other side of the door decided to answer.

"I don't think you would do that. Not if you didn't want to endanger our child."

And slowly, the shotgun was lowered. "What do you want me to do?" Adrian asked in defeat.

"Prove to me that you are the man I want in here with me."

Adrian didn't like the sound of those words, but he played along anyway. "How?"

"Just get the key. _He's_ got it."

Before Adrian could ask who it was Raven was referring to, he could hear a shuffling movement just to his right at the end of the hall. A lump formed in his throat as he took a step away.

_'You have to be kidding...'_

Adrian could hear the sound of Raven continuing the lullaby where she had left off, but that wasn't what he concentrated on. He lifted his shotgun one more time, and pointed it at the large hulking figure that approached him, dragging its huge knife along the floor behind it.

_CHH-CHH. BLAM!_

The monster stirred for a second but no longer, before it pushed forward. Adrian took one step back.

_CHH-CHH. BLAM!_

The same effect. It didn't bleed from the two blasts at all, at least Adrian didn't think so. He couldn't tell, given the dark surroundings and the blood that was already all over the monster's butcher apron.

"Come on, triangle face."

_CHH-CHH. BLAM!_

"Go down already!" No dice. Adrian took another step back, aimed carefully, and fired. The slugs continued to tear at the figure's clothing, but nothing more. He aimed again as he backed off even further, and his fifth shot aimed much higher than the prior four. The shot rang out, and the monster's head snapped aside just a little bit. As it turned to seemingly face the human again, Adrian could hear the distinct sound of dripping, and it wasn't just from his own clothes.

He hurt it.

He couldn't celebrate long- Pyramid Head didn't seem so happy with the fact that it was bleeding, and it stomped forward with a bit more urgency to its pace. Adrian was alarmed by this, and was unable to find his footing again. That gave the monster more than enough time to grab its prey by the hair and fling him through a wooden door- placing Adrian back in the main lobby atop the front steps.

Adrian quickly got to his feet, adrenaline coursing through his veins, but he had nowhere near enough distance to aim another shot. By the time he could even raise the hefty shotgun, he was punched hard in the jaw. He had tumbled down the flight of approximately a dozen stairs as a result. The shotgun slid and got itself stuck under the railing on the way down, and Adrian felt around for his next best thing as his attacker stalked downstairs after him.

He whirled to his feet and showed off the item he held in his trembled hands, before he plunked every nine millimeter bullet in his pistol into the monster. It seemed to have little to no effect- the shots to the body practically bounced off of it, and the one or two bullets that found their mark to the head only caused tiny rivulets of blood to flow.

_'Perfect.'_

Backing up in a straight line along the velvet red carpet that led from the stairs to the front entrance, Adrian thought fast. He had one clip left in his pocket, and he didn't dare think about trying to get his shotgun with Pyramid Head near it. In the end, all he could do was reload then holster his gun, run to one side of the lobby and enter the first door in sight.

The screech of the abomination's knife along the floor chilled Adrian to the bone as he looked around, finding himself in the restaurant and bar section of the hotel. He tried to act quickly on where to hide and plan a strategy further, but it was no use. The unbearable noise from the lobby left him paralyzed in fear of what could very well foreshadow his fate. Or even, the fate of his child.

The door to the Lake Shore restaurant was shoved off of its hinges, and the eight foot tall figure filled the doorway to the brim. Not a comforting sight in the least.

However, when it took no more than two steps inside, Adrian felt a glimmer of hope as he witnessed something dash in from behind the monster and raise something at it. "Adrian! Run!"

The monster either took special notice to the request Cybil made or had actually felt the parabellum rounds that struck it, but either way it had turned around and did not appear thrilled by the woman's presence. And at that moment, it lifted its knife and swung with tremendous force. A force that sent a evasive Cybil off of her feet and over to the lobby stairs.

Satisfied enough with the results its attack made, it turned and refocused its attention on what it was really after, but there was something different- the person it was after was gone.

It angrily tore through the restaurant and into the back where the kitchen was, and its intent on using its knife on human flesh was made even more obvious. It slammed the blood stained steel against every material in sight, as if butchering Adrian was no longer enough- it looked as though it wanted to destroy absolutely everything in its way. And then, in the middle of all of the carnage, it stopped.

Pyramid Head took its huge knife and stuck it into the tiled floor with a single abrupt movement. Then, seemingly in discontent, it began to twirl the handle in its large and deformed hand. The grinding of the steel into the ground made for a grating mix of noise on the ears, but the monster was a safe bet not to be the one that cared. It looked to try and guess where the little human it was after could possibly have been hiding; maybe it could even outsmart him. That was when the harsh noise ceased.

The huge beast wound up, and sent its near equally huge weapon through a steel shelf with very little effort. The top two to three layers slid and crashed down to the floor, creating a huge mess. A mess that included a glob of red matter.

With disgust, Adrian's eyes trailed upwards at how close he came to a certain death- and normally at that moment he would have shit in his pants. Only five inches separated the knife's mark from his scalp, which was a little too close for comfort. Adrian found himself still alive, however, and therefore he didn't complain. Complaining would have ruined his hiding spot, and probably would have caused that knife to return a foot lower. He looked down, and there he found that his shirt was stained with raspberry jam. Jam which had more than likely gone bad. Adrian sneered and quietly slipped his hands into the shelf level with them, each finding the plastic handle to a kitchen knife.

Pyramid Head continued to walk through the kitchen, and it didn't seem to take second thought to missing its mark that moment ago. And if the key Adrian wanted was on that thing, he would have to make the next move. He debated whether or not that move was to come right then, the very second he heard silence.

Then, as fast as the silence erupted, it was broken.

"Adrian... Ah!"

The sound of struggling caught Adrian's ears. It wasn't the loudest thing in the world, but it was there- it was just one of those things he could sense.

_'Cybil...'_

That was all the incentive he needed. He clutched the two kitchen knives as if they were his life, before he turned and ran with a scream at the large monster.

He stabbed at it with everything he had; one slice after another cut into the monster. And to his inner surprise, Pyramid Head flailed in a defensive manner, itself seeming surprised that the human actually came out and attacked it the way he was. However, if it actually asked Adrian what caused him to do such a thing, the answer would have been simple.

_'I want to see my child, you fucking bastard!'_

It didn't bleed, but even if it didn't Adrian stabbed it in a way that he wanted to be sure that Pyramid Head knew he wanted it dead.

Pyramid Head eventually grew tired of this, and shoved Adrian away so it could try to lift its weapon. Adrian was right back on it, though, stabbing and cutting as much as humanly possible. To make sure it couldn't get its knife back up, he kicked repeatedly at the hand that held it, although that didn't work. What did work, was when Adrian impaled its hand with one of his own knives. And with that, the great knife clattered to the floor.

Adrian slid down and continued to chop away at his enemy, going for its legs next. A half dozen thrusts of steel into its right leg caused the large being to fall to one knee. Adrian didn't let up. He stood, and momentarily felt powerful to see himself face to face with the masked monster. That feeling did not take long to subside, though, and Adrian wound up- much like his enemy- and swung. However, the motion was disrupted.

Adrian soon fought for air, as he felt the hand clasp around his throat in a death vise. And shortly thereafter, his feet left the ground. He struggled to resist, but there wasn't much else he could do. The other knife Adrian had on him fell out of his hand to the floor as he felt his life being sapped away. He wriggled and squirmed to break free, but Pyramid Head had none of that. It took its shishkabobbed hand and slid one end of the knife that impaled it under its flat foot, before sliding it off ever so slowly. It then took that hand and picked up its large weapon, holding it menacingly close to Adrian's side.

The dying man stared at the object, and almost felt the last of his energy leave him right there. But the longer he eyed it, the closer he was to fighting back harder. And then finally...

_'I can't die yet.'_

Adrian lifted his feet and pressed the thick heels against the blade, which bought him just enough time to reach into his pocket and retrieve his pistol. One hand grasped the monster's wrist while the other pressed and fired the gun into its arm. His finger never left the trigger until he heard the gun empty its last bullet, and that last bullet was barely enough to cause the thing to drop him.

He fell to the ground, coughing out choked breaths while he clutched his throat lightly. When he looked up, he found that he wasn't home free yet- Pyramid Head had its blade held high, ready to strike at any second. Adrian waited in silence, watching it go through its all too familiar wind up. He watched the knife reach its highest point, before the hand that held it begun to swing down. And at the last possible moment, Adrian slid out of the way.

Bits of the floor underneath him flew everywhere from the impact, an impact that left the knife stuck in the ground it practically shattered. So stuck, even Pyramid Head had a difficult time pulling it out. By the time it did, though, Adrian was back on his feet.

It stared at the human for a long moment, and as if bored with him, it turned around and began to walk away. Adrian started to follow it, angered by what he mistook for a display of cowardice. "Come on! Turn around!" Pyramid Head paid no attention and continued walking. Even when something fell from its butcher outfit and hit the floor, it seemed equally uninterested in finishing its bout.

Adrian piped down long enough to check what it was that Pyramid Head dropped, and his lips curved into the slightest of smiles in reaction to it. A small gold keychain, and a single gold key went along with it. The number carved into it, was the exact one he was looking for.

Adrian then looked up to see where the monster had lumbered off to, but he no longer saw it. But with the key he had that would lead to his child, he couldn't bring himself to care where Pyramid Head went. Maybe it simply gave up with trying to kill him and disappeared. Adrian doubted that, but it was the only reasoning he could come up with. One way or another, he assured himself that he was safe to return to room 105.

He slipped back into the heart of the restaurant and peered into the lobby. The feeling of being alone was comforting when the demon had left, but suddenly it had grew to unease him. Something was wrong, and he soon remembered what it was. "Cybil?"


	24. Effigy

Chapter 24: Effigy

The first thing that Adrian did was search the lobby, in case Cybil had been hiding somewhere. He checked all around the stairwell, glanced in any open doors, and peered behind any desks. No use. He knew the chances were slim to nil, but he had hoped in his mind that Cybil was somewhere down there with him. However, those hopes were quick to vanish.

He slowly tip toed upstairs. His every movement he controlled to the tiniest muscle in his body as he inched higher and higher, until he stopped. Stopped, leaned over slightly, and picked up his shotgun that was stuck in the chipped stairway railing. A couple deep breaths later, he continued.

He reached the top and looked to his right where the broken in door was. He stepped through it cautiously so much as to not scratch himself on the jagged wood. After that, he walked with a purpose to room 105, with one sole intent: the intent to end the game Raven had been playing with him. To end this 'Sam'. It was all going to end.

He flicked the golden key into his right hand, and slid it into its proper place in the door. It fit perfectly. But with the sound of the key turning the lock, a shrill voice came with it.

"Are you sure you are willing to step into this room?" The voice beyond the door asked Adrian this question with the illest of meaning. Adrian didn't answer.

_'Don't let her get to you... gotta stay strong... have to finish this.'_

He opened the door with a spine-tingling creak.

He put one foot into the doorway. Then the other.

Inside, was something that immediately startled him.

"Say hi to daddy!" Raven held the blanketed baby up with one craned arm for her to see her father. Adrian locked eyes with the innocent child, and he fought hard with himself not to cry at the sight. It was tough, though, and even tougher with the sight that in Raven's other hand was a small hatchet.

"Let her go, Raven," Adrian mumbled slowly. He even failed to realize that Cybil was nearby, sitting idle in an uncomfortable looking wooden chair. She was bound to it by her wrists and ankles, her mouth taped. But if Cybil could have said anything, she would have mentioned her relief that Adrian was fully focused on saving his child.

Raven smiled and held the baby close to her, swaying her softly back and forth. "I'm afraid I can't do that. I can't imagine what kind of impact you would have on our child." Adrian tilted his head in shock. Bewilderment. Anger.

"What the fuck do you mean by that?"

Raven looked at Adrian as if he just stated the answer, and he knew it. He sighed. Raven carefully rested the hatchet on the baby's chest and walked across the room to Cybil. That was when Adrian noticed she was in the room.

"Oh, God.. Cybil, I-"

"Mia is her name, sweet heart," Raven cut him off, taking the paper from Cybil's lap and handing it to Adrian, "our child's name is Mia. Isn't it cute?"

Adrian snatched the paper wearily. He shook his head as he read the birth certificate quietly to himself- he was almost stupified in a way. "Raven... she's not your child."

Oblivious to the information the paper held other than the child's name, Raven laughed and replied with a brazen naivity to her voice. "Why of course it is, hun. Who else's could she belong to?"

Adrian flared his nostrils and shot a concerned look at Cybil, but he wasn't going to get any answers from her. He would have to settle everything on his own. And with that thought embedded in his mind, he raised his shotgun. "Let her go, Raven." He and Raven searched deep into eachother's eyes, as if they were waiting for the other to bend, but neither did such a thing. Especially not Adrian. "I'll blow you away, I swear to God."

Raven didn't seem very fazed by the threat, however. In fact, she still seemed as if the ball was in her court. "Shoot me? Tell me, love, how good of a marksman are you?" Adrian took in a breath and held it, almost feeling defeated yet again. "Are you sure you could hit me without hurting our baby?" Adrian could not give a response. "Well?" Raven seemed wanting to hear an audible answer, but after not getting one, she shrugged with indifference.

"I guess you won't answer me. No matter, I will give you an opportunity to hold Mia. Maybe even let you take her home with you."

Adrian's eyes lit up, beaming at the chance laid down before him. "What do you want?" He lowered his shotgun to the floor. Raven smiled, and slowly, her eyes locked on to Cybil's. And with that subtle gesture, Adrian felt his heart sink.

"Cybil..."

"I'll let Mia go on the condition that you could kill another human being. If you could kill Cybil, I'll let Mia go. If not..." Raven took the hatchet that lay over Mia, and gripped it tightly with one hand.

Adrian recoiled, before growling in anger. "You fucking hurt her and you'll have nothing else to hide behind."

Raven shrugged. "Try me." It was then that Adrian knew that she was deadly serious. "I'll give you thirty seconds. And don't use your gun, either, you'll hurt Mia's ears. If you want our child to yourself, you strangle that woman in front of her."

Adrian glared in Raven's direction, but that only wasted time. He couldn't bear to look Cybil in the eye- how could he? He felt so vulnerable walking up to her as she sat defenseless in her seat, practically letting him kill her.

"I'm sorry, Cybil, I'm so sorry..." Cybil, unable to talk with the tape around her mouth, could only shake her head in protest of the tears that were being shed by the person in front of her. And slowly, he wrapped his hands around her throat. Not with any pressure, though- he was still too shook up to really choke the person he thought of as his friend all this time.

"Thirty seconds!" Adrian glanced at Raven but only for a quick moment before he tried to focus on part of the floor while he tightened his grip on Cybil's neck.

_'Kill her...'_

"Twenty seconds!" Adrian squeezed as hard as he could. He could hear Cybil choke and sputter from the behind the duct tape that otherwise silenced her.

_'Kill her...'_

"Ten seconds!"

_'KILL HER!'_

At this point, Adrian could not help but look over at Cybil, and into her eyes. It was then, that the next gasp had come from him, before he released his grip on her neck. Cybil coughed loudly as a result, and Adrian backed away from her, a nervous wreck. However, he wasn't the only one who looked nervous.

"Five seconds..."

To Adrian's surprise, Raven sounded unpleasantly surprised as she began to finish her countdown. She looked down at the two of them, almost in a frightened manner. "Four... three.. two.. one..." she trailed off, scared to eye the man across from her as the hatchet she clutched fell to the ground at her feet. "He didn't do it..." she mumbled in a shocked tone, before she ran with the child into the door that was next to her. Adrian started after her, but was stopped by the sound of the lock being turned on Raven's side of the door.

"You fucking bitch!" He ran at the door and pounded on it ruthlessly. "Open this door! Fucking open it!" Raven did no such thing, and Adrian slid to the floor in both physical and emotional exhaustion.

He sat in anger and helplessness. His child was just beyond a mere wooden door, and he couldn't reach her. If only Maria had told him about her perhaps the little girl wouldn't be in danger, but he couldn't think that way. Although it bugged him that she said nothing to him, neither could be bring himself to blame her for any of the actions that preceded that very moment where he found himself slumped on the ground.

He remembered Cybil's predicament across the room and crawled himself over to her, undoing her bonds and carefully taking the tape from her mouth.

"I'm sorry," she quickly confessed, "I should have been more careful."

Adrian looked at her with a sense of dismissal, pulling himself to his feet. "Don't worry about that, I have to get my baby girl." In the middle of his sentence, he began to move back to the door- hoping there could be some way to open it. He was soon distracted, though, if only for a moment from what Cybil had to say next.

"Be careful.. she took my gun, too." Adrian's head shot back in Cybil's direction with that comment, but he slowly let it drift out of his mind as he pressed against the bathroom door. And in doing that, he could hear the sounds of crying on the other side.

"You changed afterall..." Raven sobbed out weakly. "I, I wanted you to change so much.. I didn't think it would work, but I had no other option but to do it."

"What?" Adrian replied in confusion. "What, take my kid? You thought doing that and threatening her life would solve anything?"

"No," Raven sniffled back, "no, not that." She paused, presumably to keep her composure. That was when she said it. "I'm not like you."

Adrian's eyes narrowed. "Huh? What the hell do you mean by that?"

That was enough to cause Cybil to stand up from the chair and inch forward. "What is she saying, Adrian?" Adrian turned, looking to acknowledge the question, but his attention was abruptly drawn back to the voice behind the door.

"Why did you have to pick her over me, huh? Why?" Her voice was so incredibly wrought with sadness, it was hard not to take her seriously. However, with the way she had been babbling all that time, it was hard to believe a word that left her mouth anymore.

"I'm sorry, Raven," Adrian said bluntly, "I'm sorry, but.. you're fucking insane."

"I- it doesn't matter anymore," she replied softly, "that medicine worked... it finally worked..."

Adrian shook his head and turned to Cybil, who was listening in as well. He looked around the room and then looked himself over, as if he would find the answer. Sensing his disorientation, Cybil locked eyes with him. "White Claudia..."

Adrian blinked. "What?"

Cybil then quickly realized he had no idea what she was talking about, and frowned. "I... I think I understand what she did."

They kept looking at eachother, before Adrian's eyes trailed downward as he brushed a hand over his stomach, tracing the scar there through his shirt.

"No."

That one word caused Adrian to look up and once again look at the door. "No. It would never work." Raven's voice was suddenly taken over with anger. "It didn't work for me! Wh- why would it work for you and not me?!"

Adrian pounded on the door, possibly with the hope that it would bring Raven back to reality. "Raven, you need to tell me what the hell you did! Please, I.. I've gone through enough. Please open this door, please don't fuckin' hurt my child, please..."

"Why not?" Raven answered coldly. "You wouldn't take care of her. Your music is more important to you than your family."

"No, that's not true."

"Then what is true, dear? Tell me what the irrefutable truth is."

Adrian paused. "The irrefutable truth.. is..." he trailed off. He could feel a jolt of pain hit his stomach once more- an all too familiar pain, but that time he was able to subdue it. He was no longer controlled by any pain. He remembered everything.

"The truth is there's something. Something that I've either forgot.. or kept myself from for a long time."

And, almost as though those were the only words needed, the sound of a turning lock made its presence felt. Adrian grabbed the doorknob and that time, he was able to turn it. It opened with ease, and revealed Raven's figure clutching an object shrouded with the blanket that covered it. Adrian smiled. It was his child.

And then, with a shriek, Raven let the blanket fall to the ground and showed him what the item truly was. The sleek black pistol jarred Adrian's senses like nothing else had in recent memory. Raven held the gun and pointed it with purpose at Adrian's face, just as he lunged forward and grabbed her, throwing her aside into the sink next to them. Her head bashed cruelly into the mirror above it, and caused fragments of glass to clatter to the ground, shimmering around them both like snow. With the shards, were droplets of blood that came from Raven's cut forehead.

Adrian looked to the mirror, and the sight made his eyes widen. In the third of the glass that remained unscathed, Adrian saw his reflection, but that wasn't what scared him. What scared him was Raven standing right next to him, but her reflection was nil.

The pain in his stomach hit him again and that time it made Adrian fall to one knee, along with the added help of Raven jabbing the butt of the gun into his ribs before she fled through the door at the end of the bathroom.

He grew dizzy there, his hands pressed against the tile floor to keep him up amidst the sharp glass that cut into his palms. The mixed sound of air raid sirens and the crying of an infant permeated his ears, leaving him unable to recover easy. Cybil stepped in the room, hearing one of those two noises. She looked the bathroom over, then pulled away the shower curtain to the bathtub on the right, and there was the source. Little Mia, crying at the bottom of the otherwise empty tub, clothed in tiny pink jammies and kept warm by the baby blue colored blanket underneath her.

Cybil picked her up and checked her. She sighed in the relief that soon came when she found no signs of injuries to the child, but found herself once again in distress when she took notice to Adrian lying out cold on the bathroom floor.


	25. Stitches

Chapter 25: Stitches

"This is your wake up call."

When Adrian Mason opened his eyes next, he was in a whole other world.

_'If it stayed I'd never leave it  
__If that turned around, I'd grieve  
__The special dirty things  
__That we used to talk about  
__I mean that loving you is strange  
__And adored by me throughout- oh no it's you again..'_

Jay Gordon's voice was always Adrian's own tool to calm his nerves before a show- it was the level he meant to transcend with every performance. The shows never got more crowded than a few hundred people, but he and his band needed every living soul on their side so they could get a good record deal.

The band Orgy wasn't that popular after the new millenium, but their debut CD was solid enough to warrant Adrian's whoring of it long afterwards. From the beginning of high school to being in his final days of it, the song was always a catchy tune; never one he got tired of. It was one that he used to get through performances, and other things, including an unsatisfying home life that he never wanted to approach head on.

"We're on in three." Mike Telxeira was the bassist. His black hair obscured his face for the most part, but it was no variation from how he was seen every day. Adrian's opened eyes looked up at his friend and he didn't seem the slightest bit scared. In fact, he was expecting his friend to wake him up.

"You hear me, bro?"

Adrian took off his headphones and sat up from the edge of the club stage he laid next to. "Yeah man, I hear ya just fine."

"'Ight, man, let's get ready here."

"Yeah."

Clatter upon clatter filled the stage, and it quickly became the backdrop, the instruments, the entire setup that Adrian and his band would put to use. It was something extravagant, but it was the same tone that the band was looking for in their music. And in that sense, it was all perfectm even if their minute ramblings didn't show it.

"Go to Florida yet, Ademeister?" Adrian grabbed the mic stand next to him and leaned against it, throwing a sneer in John Harrington's direction. He hated that nickname.

"For fuck's sake, don't call me that. I hear that 'Ade' B.S. enough from my 'rents."

John laughed at the sense of hostility. "Your 'rents? I thought you were outta that house already." Damon sneered. As far back as Adrian remembered that man was annoyed at him. And still he could not remember why.

"I am, but the apartment place I live at is like, four blocks away from their place. They come by every week bothering me about the apartment and nitpicking like it's not appropriate looking. I think all the Christina Scabbia posters in my room got to them." He permitted himself to emit a wry chuckle.

"They still give you shit," Mike snickered, "that's a damn shame. You really oughta think about going to Florida with Maria, now. Like right now."

"Heh. I'd think about that, but right now I have to worry about pulling in the audience for you guys, right?" They all nodded to him in unison. "Well, let's get it done!"

And from the opening drum beat, the first solo guitar riff, the first exclaimed lyric, none of them looked back.

_'Someday soon you'll find that someone  
__Waiting for the chance to beat you  
__Drooling on the set to feel you  
__Blessing you with every kiss'_

Adrian could almost feel like he was watching himself and his own band in slow motion while everyone in the audience moved in motion blur before his eyes. Everything was in tunnel vision; like every other performance he had done before that. Exactly like it. It was near the point that he wanted to black out, but he never let that happen. He always remained focused, never slipping up once and he knew it. The smirk he donned as he sang was almost one of overconfidence.

And then, he saw her. Through the hyperfast movements of the crowd in front of him, a woman moving at a delicately graceful pace made her way to a seat at the bar. She was perfectly recognizable, even without a clear enough look at her face. He knew the figure all too well.

_'Why are you here? Did you get away, too? Did you want to see me? What the hell are the chances of us meeting again?'_

It wasn't like she could read his thoughts nor did she seem interested in doing so, attention kept on her impending drink. Adrian didn't think for a minute that anyone would notice his attention on the woman, but in the same breath he could admit that he wasn't really thinking about that. His hands were tied enough trying to balance keeping an eye on the mysterious woman without mucking up his band's set, even though the latter was never a real issue with him.

And then she turned around, and he was positive she was the one he thought she was. The one glance she made towards the stage was all he needed, and subconsciously he was thinking of how to greet her. It had been such a long time since he last seen her, he was surprised he still knew who she was. What was more surprising, though, was what he remembered of her.

_'Tying yourself to me  
__Stitch up my emptiness cause you're the death of me  
__So precious, loving the thrill'_

"The school is pretty inappropriate if you ask me, but miss Wolf is a very nice lady at least."

She was ten years old then, as was he. Her innocence was welcome in a town with closests full of skeletons, even if Adrian didn't know how deep the trend had really gone. Miss Wolf was one of the few, if only acknowledged people that cared as much for the well being of her students as her religion. Most teachers at Hope House were totally consumed by their beliefs that pain wasn't a consideration in the prayer process. That made for quite a few incidents, and two cases of murder that everyone, including himself, were sworn to keep secret- and he did. He kept it such a secret, he forgot what the kid had done to be killed in the first place.

"She gave me this ribbon, too," the little girl continued, pointing to the pink bow ribbon on her head. "Do you like it?"

He nodded his head. "It fits you perfectly." She smiled in appreciation of his compliment. It even made her blush, to wish he simply flashed a smile back, before reaching into his pocket. "Wanna play cards?"

"Sure."

They both sat down on the floor in content as he pulled a deck of cards from one of his jeans' pockets. "What are we playing?" She blankly looked down at the cards he dealt her, and waited for an answer.

"We're playing cards, of course!" He didn't look up from the two piles of cards he was busy making. This seriousness caused his friend to giggle in childish delight.

"I know that! I just want to know what game we are playing?"

Then, he looked up from the cards and into her eyes. And there, she knew that he hadn't really given thought to it. His verbal response confirmed it. "I dunno."

She shrugged and let him continue dealing the cards to avoid putting him on the spot. And for her reward...

"I'm glad to be your friend, Raven."

"And I'm glad to be yours, Sam."

They both smiled. And then, the door was busted open. A heaving figure stood in the doorway. A man, desperately struggling to catch his breath- he looked as though he was scared out of his boots.

"She- she just killed Leonard!" Both children stood in wide-eyed shock at the news they've been brought upon the interruption. And moments later the man collapsed onto his stomach, and in view came the handle of a dagger that jutted out of his spine. That discovery permitted both of them to scream at the top of their lungs before they took off running out of the room. The cards at their feet were kicked into the air and they fluttered like snowflakes. They were the only objects that moved in the wake of the fleeing children.

Once outside, neither of them second guessed their decision as the right one. The distinct stench of smoke passed in a tremendous wave over their senses and not only theirs, but the ones of all the other children and adults that ran for their lives, screaming over the crackles of dancing flames. The 'lucky' ones, though, could hear faint cries of 'murderer' and 'blasphemer' in the crowd, and every accusation was centered near a woman who walked calmly along with the group. A bloodied stone dagger clenched in her hand and crimson streaked blonde hair flowing, she literally looked like Death personified.

Raven caught a glimpse of that woman- which was way too much for her. Sam never saw her through the smoke and people running, but she did. For a fraction of a second, the smoke cleared, and she saw her. And Sam would never forget Raven's description.

"She looked like a maniac. Her hair and her clothes, she was completely dripping in blood. I could even make out the plop that her shoes made when she walked because of it. What would cause her to do that? She was so nice to me today... how could miss Wolf possibly do such a thing as kill another human being?"

It was a miracle that they hadn't been trampled in the chaos, but they got out- and were part of only a handful of others that made it. Few children, mainly adults, and all they could do was stand outside of the burning building in disbelief. That was when Raven told him the description of her former role model. They didn't get to say much more to eachother, though; after everyone collected themselves, more carnage was to be had when they all ran off their own ways. Raven was carried off with one of the adults, which Sam could only describe as her father, but it was so dark that he was never sure of that fact. That was the last he saw of the child.

But there she was. Height and weight aside, she looked exactly the same. What clued him in to her identity, though, of all things, was the bright pink ribbon. Why it hit him, he initially wasn't that sure. But the more he thought about it, the more he knew- he could remember her being so happy when she first got it, and he couldn't blame her. It made her look all the more innocent. More pure. More beautiful. And there he was, completely different from his childhood self. Even a new name in tow.

_'Such the patient one who needs me  
__The spoiled one who wins  
__So shocking where's your sense  
__Don't you know, I hate you, oh  
__Unsatisfied, you little girl'_

Then, the chance to question her came. He dropped from the stage and eased his way through the crowd that gave him words of approval, approval that he admittedly paid little attention to. What mattered at that time, was the woman.

"Hey, 'scuse me, miss.."

The woman turned and faced him with a warm smile. It was her, no doubt about it.

"You sounded beautiful up there." She gently moved her hair away from her face, so she could get a better look at the man before her. The look in her eye made it clear that she knew who she was talking to as well. A pleasant surprise for her it seemed.

"Thanks." He watched her closely, wondering if she knew him. He couldn't really tell then. Not until she verbally confirmed his beliefs.

"It's been awhile, hasn't it?"

Adrian's mouth opened as he stood there, trying to think of some kind of reply. "Yeah. Yeah it has... I uh, see you made it out, too, huh?"

"Uh huh. Sort of hurt myself trying, though, you see?" She showed Adrian her hands, revealing scars on both palms. Adrian winced.

"What happened?"

"They didn't want me to leave. A couple of teachers from our school found me and tried to get me to stay, but I managed to get away. Said I would be safer with them, but I guess we both know that's not true, right?" She giggled softly, and Adrian nodded his head.

"Yeah... we should totally celebrate now."

"Celebrate what?" Raven blinked.

"Being free?"

And soon, they were both on their way to destroying property. Starting fires in abandoned buildings, throwing stones at cars, and spray painting the sides of bridges. However, it wasn't the criminal actions that did it. Rather, it was as simple as a private walk in an open, seemingly endless field.

_'Tying yourself to me  
__Stitch up my emptiness cause you're the death of me  
__So precious, loving the thrill'_

The decrepit Lakeview Hotel surely wasn't their first decision to stay in, but they were so drunk with their own love that they couldn't think of any place else to go where they wouldn't be bothered. Adrian thought nothing about what would happen if his girlfriend had found out, nor did he even seem to remember that he had a girlfriend. The first thing that came to his mind was lust, and quenching his thirst for it. And Raven, she seemed to have no quarrels with giving herself in to his desires. And he couldn't believe how they did it, but they managed to sleep in the haunted looking hotel until the sunrise woke him up.

Careful to not disturb the woman's sleep, he slipped out of bed and found his clothes, throwing them on swiftly. And it wasn't on his own that he remembered, but it was when he reached into his pocket and pulled out his pair of Oakleys that a picture did the deed for him.

It slipped out of his pocket and drifted slowly to the floor, almost in the way that his playing cards had on the night of their escape. He rubbed his forehead with an index finger, and tried hard to suppress the headache that was coming on. Not from short term memory, either, but due to his own stupidity.

_'Maria... dammit.'_

He exhaled, leaning down to pick up the picture of him and his girlfriend before he moved to a chair in the room and sat in it. It wasn't the most comfortable thing in the world, but he couldn't care less. All he could do was look at the woman that slept with content just feet away from him, and the woman a couple miles away that would go berserk if she ever found out what had happened. It was safe to say, that he was overcome with guilt.

_'Rolling dice and seeming queer  
__Bastard love, a sick affair  
__Let's see what new disease you'll fetch  
__I mean that fucking you is strange  
__And adored by me throughout- oh no it's you again  
__Blessing you with every kiss'_

"Oh, man," he whispered to himself in despair, "oh shit.. oh shit, I'm so stupid. So stupid." He sat there and thought the night over. He thought over the six months before that. He thought about everything. Of all the things he did not want to do, what he had just done was probably the worst of all. He could imagine how he would have reacted in the event he knew Maria was cheating on him, how could be possibly forgive himself for doing that to her? "Oh shit, what the hell am I gonna do?"

Time seemed to stand still at that moment, even though he knew that somewhere around that time Maria was going to get worried with him not being back at the apartment. He couldn't go back to her yet, though, he had to figure out something first. Anything that would get rid of a threat to her finding out about the whole thing. And as he was thinking, Raven began to stir on the bed.

It was that sign of life in her that compelled him to look at her, and slowly stand up. He looked over her for a long, agonizing minute, before he turned and silently searched the room for something. He was quick to think that the item he was seeking wouldn't be in sight, but soon enough there it was. In the light that shined through the window, the object glistened under the bed of all places. He knelt down and pulled it out so he could get a look at it better. He smiled, and it was indeed just what he was looking for. However, that smile quickly turned upside down.

He stood over the bed, and raised the item high in the air with his right hand. It shook in his grasp, and he took quick ragged breaths to try and calm himself. He couldn't possibly do it. No way. But the moans that signified Raven's awakening forced him to.

And down the knife came.

_'So precious you know this hate of mine exploded  
__I'm so deranged you know  
__I will never be the same...'_

She didn't cry. She didn't scream, either. All she did was gasp. Her eyes shot open and the first things they found were the eyes of the man she had just spent the night stressing her love for him through her body, and they were rightfully shocked to find that same man stab her in the heart- figuratively and literally. She couldn't draw in a breath to scream, simply way too taken back to do anything but instinctively claw at her attacker. Her fingers sunk into his stomach, and after getting one especially deep into his skin, he scratched as hard as possible. And there, she left the crescent shaped mark on his body. That did not cause him to stop, however, it only caused him to do it again.

It all happened so fast that in the end, Adrian could only continue his quick breathing and blink his eyes furiously in order to keep the tears from streaming down his face. In the end, however, he caved in. Adrian threw the knife to the ground and into the bathroom he went, where he puked his brains out.

_'Holy shit, holy shit... what did I just do, oh God what the fuck did I just do?'_

He flushed the toilet and peeked up at the mirror above the sink for no longer than a second. He couldn't bear to look at himself again after what he did. There was just no way. All he could do was shakily wash his hands clean of the blood that they were covered in, before he looked out at the body that laid motionless in the room outside.

His mind raced. Silent Hill was a ghost town, but someone would eventually find her body. Someone that was looking for a good time like he and Raven were the night before. And in the end, the one decision he could think of almost made him vomit again.

After finding every single duffel bag that there was in the hotel, he stood over the dead body on the bed. "I can't do this. Oh, Jesus Christ I can't do this..." Eventually, though, he did. He had no other choice but to. Breathing through his mouth thanks to the horrendous stench that filled the room, he carved, cut, sliced, and chopped until he was able to fit every part of Raven Dremora into the four duffel bags on the ground at his feet. After that, he wiped his brow and put the knife in one of the bags as well. Then, slinging two over each shoulder, he hauled ass as fast as he could out of the hotel and ran straight for the lake.

His reflection stared up at him in the calm waters of Toluca Lake. One look into his own eyes was enough to show himself how much he fucked up. The real price that he would pay for a mere twelve hours of his life that he could not take back. It would be worse than Maria finding out that he cheated on her. Worse than being executed for his crimes. Instead, he would have to live with the guilt of committing the worst crime of all. Murder. And one by one, he threw each bag into the lake and watched until all four sank to the point where he could no longer see them. Afterwards, he slowly turned around and walked away.

_'What did I do?'_

His eyes fluttered open violently. His body shot up in one fluent motion. He looked around at the bathroom he lay in, and forced himself to his feet. He was alone. No... a sound of crying just outside lured him into the main part of the hotel room.

"Help me! Somebody help me!"

Adrian quickly felt himself collapse back into the bathroom. He barely kept his balance from the towel rack in his reach, but he let himself slide to the floor anyway. A bloodied Raven sat outside in wait. On the bed she cried, arms outstretched as tears corrupted her innocent face. Her wrists were slit, her legs were slashed, and her kimono was soaked with blood. Her pink ribbon dangled from her hair down near her neck. It was her true form.

_'Oh God, help, someone help....'_

His hands covered his face. He sat on his knees and prayed that everything would end. That someone, something... that God himself would feel pity for his soul and end his life right there. He didn't get that. Instead, he got someone calling his name.

"Adrian?"

Quickly, his hands flew away from his face and his arms stretched out.

"Oh, God! Oh, God fucking help me please! Please!"

And outside the bathroom, he could hear hurried shuffles headed in his direction. He slowly looked up and into the eyes of the person in the doorway. There, he screamed.

And a woman, limbs stitched and sown onto her body, screamed back.

"AHH-"

He closed his eyes, but the horrific images didn't leave- they only got worse. Blood spurted from open wounds. A defenseless woman screamed as blood gurgled from her maw. A decomposed and rotted hand moved gracefully in the waters of Toluca Lake.

"Adrian? Oh my, Adrian, it's okay. It's okay!"

He felt hands grasp and shake his shoulders. He fought and broke away from them. His body fell backwards, and he landed painfully on his elbows, which sharp pieces of glass pierced into with ease. The pain shot his eyes open, and there Cybil stood in restrained shock before him.


	26. Anima

Chapter 26: Anima

His screaming stopped, and there he lied with his mouth wide open. Eyes wide open. Cybil comfortingly sat next to him, putting a gentle hand under the back of his head so he would sit up. His body complied.

"Adrian, it's okay," Cybil put one hand over his forehead and began wiping away the mixture of cold sweat and dirty water. Adrian sputtered; he was frozen to the officer's touch, which scared her to the point where she thought he was dying. Truth be told, however, he was far from it. And when he looked around, only one thing came to mind.

"My baby..."

Adrian fought Cybil's soft clutches to get to his feet. Cybil could do nothing in return but help him up. He staggered for the open doorway that led out to the main hotel room, but his legs buckled fast. Cybil raced over and kept her friend balanced, to which he nodded in gratitude.

"She's okay," Cybil pointed into the room, "she's on the bed there."

Adrian tried moving forward and Cybil held him to make sure he was okay. He raised a hand, insisting he was fine and she let go. He took deep breaths and managed to steady himself while staggering to where his daughter lay unharmed, curled up in the confinement of the soft, baby blue colored blanket. Ade picked her up, and for the first time in a long while, he could bring himself to smile naturally.

"H- hi, love," he stammered. He never held a baby before, nor did he realize how good it felt to know that he gave life to something so beautiful. It made him feel important. A purpose to go on, something that the revelation he had just a minute beforehand hadn't offered.

Her blue eyes shimmered up at him lovingly as her lips formed a wide smile. She obviously seemed at the very least, a tad bit confused as to who the person holding her was, but his friendly smile soothed her.

"I'm your daddy," he nervously continued. Cybil stood across the room in silence, letting Adrian enjoy seeing his daughter for the first time. He at least deserved that one moment, and she would let him have it in peace. For now, she would just sit and catch her breath.

Cybil ran her hands underneath the cold water of the bathroom sink. She splashed droplets over her face in refreshment. When she grabbed the towel near her to dry herself off, she glanced at the door across the room- which seemingly had no place being there. It was a rusty red color, far from the harmless pale yellow of the rest of the washroom. And at the foot of it, lay a small piece of paper. Morbid curiousity led her to pick it up and read.

Brookhaven Hospital Patient Records:

6/23/04 - Adrian Weber

Injury: A deep incision over the patient's lower abdomen. Patient claims to have inflicted the wound in a recent cooking accident, but scar line is too curved and fading to match patient's story. Wound seems to have been inflicted months, maybe even years ago.

Further inspection has led me to believe that Mr. Weber has become sick over the neglection of taking care of the wound at a sooner time. I have given the patient an injection of WC and have requested that he come in at a later date (preferably two to three weeks) for another shot to help kill the infection of the wound.

-Dr. Marcos Dremora

At the bottom of the paper was a smaller message, written in faded blue ink.

Patient looks familiar. Must remind myself to talk with him when he comes back.

Cybil slowly- very slowly- stuck her head out the open bathroom door and at the man holding his child. Her eyes then trained themselves on the red door behind her. Then the broken glass scattered around her. She tried to think as hard as she could as to where Brookhaven Hospital was located. As far as she remembered, that was in South Vale. She never went there before. For all she knew...

_'Oh my God.'_

Cybil tried to shake the thoughts out of her head, but she couldn't.

_'No. He couldn't possibly... there's just no way he could.. people can't still be...'_

The worst part about it though, was that it all made sense.

"Adrian.." Ade was still busy with the infant child, now singing softly to her. That was, until he heard Cybil call him, and he turned around. "Adrian, we have to talk."

He placed the child down on the cot next to him, and looked out at the officer across from him. The expression on his face wasn't an eager one. "Talk?" Cybil nodded in agreement, and the way she looked at him did not seem to be a look of happiness.

"Wait here, daddy will be back in a couple minutes, promise."

Adrian kissed his palm and brought it ever so softly to Mia's forehead. Ade then turned and disappeared from his daughter's sight, into the bathroom where Cybil awaited patiently. When she was face to face with him, however, she held the medical paper out towards him. "Read it."

He slowly took the paper and pushed his wet black hair out of his eyes to read it. When he seemed to be finished, Adrian shook his head subtly. "This isn't right."

Cybil furrowed an eyebrow. "Why not?"

Adrian replied in confident triumph. "I went to Alchemilla hospital, not Brookhaven. Remember?"

_'He had a point...'_

Cybil nodded in acceptance, but something told her that wasn't the end of it. "Wait."

Adrian stared at Cybil in disbelief. He wondered how she had the audacity to keep him from his child, even though she was more than likely on to something he didn't want her on to. "What is it?"

"Well, are you sure you went to Alchemilla instead of Brookhaven? Or you don't remember?"

Good question- enough to make Adrian falter in his reply. "I... I don't know."

"Please," Cybil said not all that pleadingly, "yes or no. Just give me a yes or no answer. Did you go to Alchemilla Hospital?"

Adrian knew he was in trouble when he had to actually think about the answer to the question. _'Thanks, Cybil, I really needed this...'_

"Then I did." Adrian nodded finally in a distinctive manner.

"How sure are you?"

The nod faded as quick as it came, and there returned the puzzled look on Ade's face. "I, uh.." he trailed off in defeat. Cybil sighed; she knew all too well what Adrian's silence had meant.

"That woman... she isn't real, is she?"

Adrian's eyes bugged at the question. "Are you kidding? You can't decide that after seeing her for yourself?"

"I don't know," Cybil shrugged, "I haven't exactly gotten a look at her face without it being pitch black or without her hair in the way."

"You didn't see her when she attacked you and held you up here?"

"She attacked me from behind," Cybil stated plainly, "me being dazed and confused afterwards didn't help my vision one bit, either, Adrian." Ade looked ready to explode in a fit of rage and frustration. She just had to be kidding...

"That's a load of flaky bullshit and you know it."

"Adrian..." Cybil looked to penetrate Ade's eyes with her own, but he resisted and turned away. "You killed her, didn't you?" Cybil waited anxiously for an answer. Any answer at all.

"No." Adrian shook his head and turned slightly in Cybil's direction, although his eyes were directed on the floor. "I don't know what I did." The conversation was going nowhere, and fast. Cybil had to think of some way to salvage any information that would help.

"Adrian please," she placed a hand on his shoulder, "tell the truth."

That moment, he had abruptly turned and put both of his hands on her shoulders, shaking her slightly. It was the first time she ever truly felt threatened by him. "Don't you get it yet? I don't remember the fucking truth!" At that remark, Adrian raced out of the bathroom and to his daughter that waited quietly on the bed just outside.

"I'll be right back, okay, sweetheart? Daddy's got to do something real quick." He gently placed his hand over her forehead, stroking the small amount of hair on her scalp. Cybil heard his comment, and stood in the bathroom doorway watching him- making sure he did not run from her. Instead, Adrian turned and walked right back to her. She stood in his way, and did not budge. "Cybil, move."

"Why?"

Adrian cracked the knuckles of his right hand. "I'm putting an end to this right now. Something you've failed to do." He brushed hard past her, and Cybil whirled as a result- half from the force, and half from shock.

"What is your problem? If you've done nothing wrong, why do you have to go on? Why do you have to do _any_thing?"

Adrian walked to the large red door at the end of the bathroom. At his feet, was the pistol that Raven dropped. Adrian picked it up. "Shut up, Cybil. Just... just shut up." He turned and gawked at the police officer. "I could've killed you but I didnt, I didn't do that! What more do I need to do, to prove to you that I'm not a killer?" Cybil stared in dumbfoundedness. All she could muster in reply was a waver of her arms. That was all the incentive Adrian needed to turn and push the red door open. Only darkness greeted him in return. Cybil wanted to say something- anything- but she didn't have the strength to do so. When she was able to at least open her mouth, Adrian was already gone.

When the crimson colored door slammed shut behind him, Adrian immediately regretted his decision. He couldn't see a thing. Nothing at all. All he could do was feel- feel the floor underneath him begin to move. Loud, mechanical noises echoed throughout the area; and they signaled the slow, goosebump inducing drop that had begun. _'Goddammit... what now?'_

Adrian groped around frantically to try and find a wall or anything inanimate near him. His hands came up with nothing. The sounds on the other hand, only became more and more apparent as the ride downward progressed. Cogwheels tainted with oil and dust turned in painstakingly loud revolutions. That made the feeling that something would leap out and attack him all the more possible. And Adrian still could not see a thing. Not until the worn out elevator reached its destination and halted.

The enormous steel gate in front of him opened up and revealed a slight bit of light beyond it. When Adrian left the elevator, the gate dropped down behind him. The only path onward, was the long hallway ahead.

As he pushed forward, he began to take note to how close the walls and the floor were to looking like the same hallway he found himself in inside the church awhile back. But now, what was at the end of the hallway could have been much, much more important. Not liking to dwell on such things, however, Adrian decided to pick up the pace and hurry towards the path's imminent end. But something there caused him to slow down.

Adrian stopped, leaned down, and picked up the piece of paper at his feet. He strained to read the lettering through the small amount of light, but was relatively successful.

Patient: Raven Dremora

Symptoms: Profound disrupt in fundamental attributes such as emotion, speech, word usage, thought and perception. Symptoms have gone as far to include the patient speaking in an array of different accents, the most prominent being British. She mainly supresses the massive emotional trauma through blanked out memories. However, when this trauma forces its way into her mind, she is liable to growing extremely violent. Trauma in question involves her role model committing a murder on her own father. Has also had instances of catatonic behavior and maintains social isolation.

Overall Diagnosis: Schizophrenia

That discovery was more than enough to make Adrian cringe. It reminded him of his own run-in with a shrink. And how terrible that went.

_"Why didn't you go to the hospital right away?"_

_"I don't know."_

_"Are you able to remember anything about the day you cut yourself?"_

_"No."_

_"Has this event slipped your mind by chance, or have you forced it out of your head?"_

_"I... I don't remember."_

_"Is this the only occasion which you've failed to remember something?"_

_"No."_

_"Is there someone inside you? Telling you to forget these things?"_

_"I'm not sure."_

_"Tell me what you think about this memory problem you're having. What you think the cause of it is."_

_"I dunno. I guess it's almost like I don't want to remember some things. Some things I force to the back of my mind so I make sure I can't think of them anymore. But sometimes I lose control of my thoughts and things get mixed up. I can tell you when me and my girlfriend started going out. I can tell you how I got started in singing. But I can't remember the lyrics of half the songs I sing, nor can I remember when or why me and my girlfriend broke up. I can't tell you things I don't want to remember or feel the need to remember. But sometimes they resurface, all I need is an image that I remotely recall, and bingo. Things get jumbled up. It's tough knowing that I can remember my first crush in the eighth grade, forget it without a trace, and then remember it a day after. I feel like someone up there is toying with me."_

The more he thought about that exchange, the more and more recent it turned out to be- far from the time he remembered it taking place in. It was discouraging to know that he had led himself up to this the entire time, and he cursed at himself for being so vulnerable- something he wasn't so used to being.

Then there was Cybil, who turned out to be a hassle more than a help to him. He wasn't at all flattered by her numerous accusations throughout the ordeal- even if one of them could very well have been true. And according to his flashback- it was.

But Adrian had an assuring feeling that whatever the truth was, it would be on the other side of the wooden door just feet out in front of him. This would be it. Whether he was killed or not, he was looking to make sure that the entire situation would end once and for all. Before he stepped to the door, he looked over his newly acquired pistol: a semi-automatic Glock 18, with the standard nine millimeter rounds. Adrian had one clip of bullets remaining that would go well for them, should he have to use them. He prayed that he wouldn't.

Slowly approaching the door, he grasped the doorknob with his right hand and turned, pulling it open slowly. A wailing creak sounded from the movement. Adrian slipped into the next room and quickly flung the door shut behind him.

Another dark room. Not as dark as the elevator, but dark none the less. That didn't last too long, though; a large fire sprouted from the center of the room, caged in a huge circular chasm. And the silhouette of a woman stood just next to it, staring directly at him.

"I had a feeling you'd come here," Raven noted with a mischevious tone of voice.

Adrian marched forward, gun pointed at his enemy. Raven produced a knife from one of the sleeves to her kimono. "No more," Adrian exclaimed angrily. He easily spotted the glimmer of the dagger in her right hand. "Drop the fucking knife, now!"

"Or you'll do what," Raven teased, "shoot me? What about your friend? Isn't she a police officer? She should do that job for you."

"She's not my friend," Adrian softly confessed.

Raven smirked, but if only for a second. The look of happiness faded, and was soon replaced with a cold sneer. Adrian couldn't exactly tell, though- all he could see through the faint amount of light, were faint features. "Of course she's not. If she _was_ your friend, she'd probably be dead right now."

"You know that's not true." Adrian kept his gun pointed at the woman- he didn't want to converse, so much as just shoot her and get it over with. "I'm not a killer and you know it."

"But that didn't stop you from ending my life, did it?"

"Don't..." Adrian tried to debate, but his plea came out no louder than a whisper.

"It just had to be for the right reason. You killed me to salvage your relationship, but your plan failed. Maybe that's why you couldn't bring yourself to kill your friend upstairs. You know that one way or another, your daughter will probably be dead."

"You shut the fuck up," Adrian yelled, but Raven did nothing of the sort.

"Afterall... look at who she has as a father."

He cocked his pistol. His index finger came close to putting just enough pressure on the trigger to open fire. The weapon shook noisily in his hands. "Am I upsetting you?" Raven made no attempt to run- she stood just where she was, as if hoping he would have the audacity to shoot her. "Did my dispatching of your loved one really have that much of an effect on you? I'm shocked."

The gun trembled all the louder in Ade's more than shaking hands. "You... you killed her." Raven answered with a mere nod of her head. Adrian screamed in disgust. "You killed her, you fuck!" He opened fire.

The first two shots whizzed past their mark by a matter of inches, but the third shot connected- a bullseye, right to Raven's heart. She stumbled backwards, and fell into the lake of fire behind her. She was gone. The dagger she had in her hands had fell just next to the edge of the open pit.

Adrian collapsed to his knees. "You took the last fucking piece of life I had left in my soul!"He put his gun down, leaving his hands free to punch the filthy floor. _'You're no worse than I am.'_ He punched and punched, until his knuckles drew blood. And that was it.

That was it. He sat there until he could once again find the power in his legs to stand up. When did finally did so, he looked for the door he entered the room from, and found it. Adrian picked up his gun and made his way for the door. When he got to it, he gripped the doorknob and attempted to turn it. It wouldn't.

_'You have to be shitting me.' _He spun around, looking over the rest of the room around him, before he made a small sigh. _'Probably another door around here someplace.' _With that frame of mind, he circled the room and tried to find another door somewhere. As he did, he could have sworn that the lake of fire was beginning to grow taller. He could feel the heat of the embers reach him, even though he was as close to the room's walls as can be. That caused him to glance back at the fire every now and then in between searching for his exit.

Once he became evident of a door near him, he trotted up to it and pulled on it- no go. It was that same moment that he realized it was the same door he tried to open a second ago. "Shit."

The cackling of the flames began to grow unbearably loud. When Adrian turned to keep an eye on them, he saw something shoot out from the fire and into the air. What it was, pushed the boundaries of reality to their very limit. It was Raven- except not the Raven that Adrian had come to know.

Her hands were bound behind her back by chains, but she did not need them. From her shoulder blades emerged wings; wings the pallor and consistency of charcoal. They flapped meticulously, and in consequence they shook free glowing embers- causing them to rain down onto the ground like drops of water. The rest of her skin was as badly burned as the wings, taking the hue of a dark pinkish-grey. The long, flourishing black hair that was the most notable of Raven, was long gone, replaced with a head that was somewhat the shape of Pyramid Head's. And her face... again, not the same Raven that Adrian had once known.

The stench of death and charred flesh spread throughout the room, suffocating Adrian's senses. His gun was swiftly pointed up, and up, until he could truly pinpoint the abomination which hovered dangerously close to the ceiling. A fallen angel, in every definition of the word.

And then, the creature spontaneously caught ablaze. Anima Sola personified.

"You _have _no soul, Adrian Mason," the real Raven spoke defiantly, in a distinct British accent. "You are a demonic copy of who you used to be. To need such death and destruction to ensue around you for you to understand that, is a disgrace all on its own."

"I'm what you've forced me to be over the torture you've dealt me! I've been sick all this time for a reason!"

"Yes you have," Anima confessed, "but do you really think it was from guilt? You were sick because the cut I gave you got you sick. Because you were too afraid to explain what you did at the hospital."

"No. No. No!"

"I'm sorry," the fallen angel said with grief, "but you must now endure your rightful punishment." Adrian clutched his weapon all the tighter at the sound of the threat. "Or do you need me to take another life? The life of your child would surely be a proper exchange for yours."

Adrian could take no more verbal attacks. He squinted through the dark, took proper aim, and fired the pistol at Anima Sola. The bullet tore through her right wing, but no blood flowed. All that trickled from the wound, was ashes. None the less, it was still enough for the fiery being to swoop down in attack. Like a shooting star, it tore a path towards the human, who just barely dove to the left and out of its way. A strike from the burning body would surely have meant a near instant death.

He took a moment to collect himself, before he tried to spot the dancing flames once more. He became aware of them yards away, circling to make another pass at him. While Anima made her turn, Adrian fired again. Three shots, and each one plugged into the monster's body. More ashes poured onto what was quickly becoming a battlefield. The angel seemed generally unaffected by the flecks of grey that surrounded the bullet holes, and she made her way back in Adrian's direction with a much more slow, methodical pace. Adrian took the opportunity to continue firing. Two more bullets struck the flying anomaly- but she kept coming.

_'This is no good,' _Adrian thought with discouragement, _'I'm gonna run out of ammo.' _It made him wish he brought his shotgun with him- two shells and all.

Still, he did not let up on the Glock's trigger. Another bullet punctured the left wing. Another tore into her chest. Adrian backed up a few steps to buy himself some distance, but Anima Sola was gaining on him. And that caused him to count each and every bullet he anticipated left in the weapon's chamber.

_'Seven.'_

Anima let out an ear-piercing scream and swooped in on him again. Adrian- caught off guard- inadvertently fell onto his back, and the fallen angel flew just over him as a result. Adrian swiveled on the ground and fired once more- the bullet went wide.

_'Six.'_

The monster circled smoothly around for another attack. She seemed to be at ease, as if she knew just as well as Adrian that once he was out of ammo, he would be in a world of trouble. He had no room to waste any other bullets by missing entirely, and he was perfectly aware of that. He took a deep breath, slightly more patient than before to get off a shot this time. _BLAM! _The slug pierced Anima's right shoulder. Another loud shriek, and the creature sped over Adrian's head. As it did, Adrian felt a drop of something hit his forehead. He reached up and got the liquid on his finger to give it a good look- blood.

_'Five.'_

Adrian couldn't help but think of the line Arnold Schwarzenegger uttered in the famous movie _Predator _at that moment, as out of place as it was.

_'If it bleeds, I can kill it.'_

Adrian smiled inside, and pivoted around to trail the creature, watching it circle him like a vulture, until it slowly approached once again. Another bullet fired, and it struck Anima in the chest. More ash.

_'Four.'_

He took a deep breath and awaited to take another shot, but took too long doing so. Anima Sola sped up yet again, and again took Adrian by surprise. He tried to glide out of the way, but the flames managed to come in contact with his right arm. He tumbled to the ground and howled in pain. His gun skittered across the floor, out of his sight. Adrian was defenseless.

Ade tried to console his arm and gently grab it with his hand but it was scalding to the touch, preventing him from doing such a thing. He could feel the heat of the flames on the monster just over him, but he didn't quit. He crawled slowly toward the fiery pit, and there he saw what he was looking for. Inside, he smiled.

Adrian reached his hands around himself, feeling for something on the floor. Luckily for him, it meant he could not see the sickening display before him. Anima lifted her tied hands up over her head, and brought them down in front of her with a sickening _snap_ of bone. The clawed fingers reached out for him, whether their intent was to choke the life out of him or slash his throat, he wasn't sure. But he was sure he wasn't going to let either action take place. "Do you see now, Adrian? You can't escape your punishment. You must die."

As soon as the word 'die' was mumbled, Adrian whirled onto his back- dagger in hand.

"Yes," he murmured with a smile. "I see."

At that, he plunged the blade into the side of Anima Sola's head. Blood flowed freely, and flowed everywhere. "But I won't die here. Not for you, you stinking bitch!" Anima screamed out in tremendous amounts of pain. The flames around her slowly began to decrease until they were non-existent, before finally, she flopped over. Dead. Really dead.

Adrian sighed and let go of his grip on the knife to bring his burnt arm to his chest. _'I beat you,' _Adrian thought in triumph, _'I beat you, I finished this.'_

However, as much as his days in Silent Hill seemed to be over, he still had one more obstacle to overcome- how would he be able to explain to Cybil what he had done? And after he did, what would be in store for him then?


	27. Final

Chapter 27: Final

It didn't take much thinking on Adrian's part for him to get out of the room. After he killed the creature, he tried the door he entered from, and it opened without a problem. He would have the long walk back through the hallway to think about what he would tell Cybil when he got up there. There were so many things he could say, but he would have to come clean no matter what. There was no way that the result of which could be good, but he would've took prison over Silent Hill any day.

When he reached the hotel room, Cybil was still there as Adrian assumed she'd be- sitting on the bed next to his child, consoling her to sleep. When Adrian trudged into the doorway, she looked up from the baby and eyed him carefully. Cybil didn't seem overly happy by his presence and had every right not to be, but she seemed glad that he was okay.

"Are you finished?"

Ade shrugged his shoulders and nodded. "I suppose I am." He slowly made his way to the bed and sat down next to his sleeping daughter. "Mia will be fine, right?"

Cybil shot a puzzled glance at him. "I don't see why she wouldn't be."

"No," Adrian quickly answered, "I mean.. well..." he trailed off. He just couldn't think of an easy way to put it. "What's going to happen to her?"

Cybil stepped back in confusion- she was still unsure what he was trying to tell her. "I don't understand."

"Well," Adrian lowered his head to look at the wooden floor in nervousness. "I'm going to jail, aren't I?"

Cybil had thought about the question ever since Adrian went beyond the red door in the bathroom. It was only procedure to put him behind bars, but something inside her didn't want to do it. He had been through much worse than what prison had to offer already, anyway. As tough as prison would be, it would have been a cake walk compared to what Adrian had been through here. "I..."

"Yes?" Adrian was eager for an answer. Whether it was one he'd want to hear or not, as long as it was a straight answer.

"I'm sorry."

Adrian flinched. "You're... you're sorry?" Cybil nodded slowly, subtly. Adrian frowned. "What the hell does that mean? Am I going to jail or not?"

The question played on Cybil's ears like a bad joke. Whatever answer she came up with, it would not be satisfying to them both.

_'Well, life isn't always fair, Cybil. You need to make a decision, and face the proper consequences later.'_

"For now, I wouldn't say jail just yet. But, but you need to go to the police and explain yourself. After that, we'll see what happens. And if they don't believe you, I'll try and help. I just need you to trust me, okay?"

The man's head sunk in defeat. However, he refused to argue the decision. In fact, it was deserving punishment. "Okay." He gave a solemn look at the woman. "Can I just..."

Cybil cringed. "Just, what?"

"I... I just want to do two things before you turn me in," he said, and quickly defended his request. "They wouldn't take long.. just two more things I need to do before I can leave this behind with a clear conscience. That's all I ask."

Cybil couldn't help but cave in to the offer. If he was a killer, he was damn sure the last person she'd have thought he'd be pictured as. "Alright. Let's just find our way back to the car, and work everything out from there."

Adrian smiled. He could at least accept that. He made his way to his child, and gently picked her up- careful not to wake her.

---

Inside the car, the slamming of its doors was enough to stir the little girl out of her slumber. The first instinct Mia had, of course, was to cry. "It's okay," her father whispered in attempt to soothe her bawling, "we'll go home soon and you can rest all you want."

When Adrian took a second glance out of the window, it was then that he realized how much his daughter really needed sleep. It was already dusk.

"Drop me off at my house first," he said calmly to Cybil, who approved. As he cradled the child in his arms, Adrian kept an eagle eye on the fog outside, wondering how they could possibly leave through such a cloudy haze. Cybil, however, had no worries. She drove a car better than she rode a motorcycle, that was for sure. As long as she didn't rush herself, they would be fine. Besides, she feared the conversation she would have in the car rather than anything outside of it.

"What are we going to your house for?" Cybil couldn't help but ask, and Adrian was considerate enough to know that the question must have been on her mind. He was actually surprised she hadn't mentioned it until then.

"To drop Mia off, and feed that poor dog of mine. He must be starving..."

Cybil blinked dumbly. "Oh."

"Then I want to go to Maria's," Adrian continued, "I still have one last thing to do there, and then we can go to the police station."

"Erm," Cybil stammered, "why go there exactly?"

Adrian remained quiet. "Let's just get it done. I promise I won't be long."

_'Hm. Fair enough.'_

"Can I ask you something, Adrian?" Ade warily turned his head in Cybil's direction. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to, but... why didn't you kill me back there, knowing your daughter could've been murdered if you hadn't done it?"

That one, needless to say, caught him off guard. "I, uh..." he trailed off, trying to play back the events that led up to the situation he'd been put in once inside room '105', as much as he did not want to. "I don't know. As much as what was at stake... what, are you saying I should have killed you or something?"

"No," Cybil responded straight away. "I'm just trying to make sense of the entire situation, that's all."

"Well," Adrian started in reply, a bit upset at the questioning. "Look. I did something that I regret. Everyone does, except I did something that most people don't even have the courage to do. If you think I'm terrible enough to do something like that again, you're wrong." He sighed in triumph- he felt strongly about the issue, more than he let on. He seemed apologetic about the whole thing, and the type who was debating to himself why it had to be him and why he had to do something so bad. Cybil couldn't help but understand his position.

"Yeah. I'm sorry." She faltered for a second, before she spoke again. "Maybe we just shouldn't talk about it until we arrive at the precinct."

"Okay."

---

Adrian climbed out of the car and walked up his front steps in apparent exhaustion. He still had Mia clutched warmly in his arms, stepping inside with her and taking her upstairs. Cybil waited in the car- she didn't have to bother him any more than she already had, and he didn't seem as though he was going to take the time to run from her. And it was indeed the last thing he was thinking about. All he wanted then, was to tuck in his daughter, at least once.

He took her into his room, and laid her down gently. He had no crib nor did he have anything remotely like one, so he would have to settle for her resting in his king-sized bed. It would work- he wouldn't be gone for long he hoped, and he was set to call someone to watch her until then anyway.

He seized the phone that rested on the nightstand near the bed. He dialed the first number that came to mind, and hoped for an answer. "Hello? John?"

"Yeah, it's me. What's going on, man, are you okay?"

"Eh..." he trailed off, looking himself over. "I could be better, I suppose."

"Ah." John paused for a moment. "So, what makes you call?"

"Well... are you a reliable babysitter?"

Adrian could imagine the look John had on his face, and it made him smile. "Huh? Why are you asking me that?"

"Take a wild guess." After no reply on the other end of the phone, Adrian frowned. "I need you to watch my daughter for me. Think you could do that, for like an hour or two?"

Another pause on John's side. It was obviously due to the confusion of what he was being asked to do. Babysit his friend's daughter...

_'...Shit, I never knew he had a daughter.'_

"Uh, I was supposed to be doing something, but it's not that important. Am I like.. the only person you can get?"

"I'm in a real big hurry," Adrian answered, "and yeah, I'd appreciate if you'd come by cause you're basically the only person I'd trust to show up."

John thought about it, but only for a very brief moment. "Yeah, it's cool. You won't be too long?"

"Just for an hour or so, I swear."

"Alright. I'll head on over then."

"Thanks, man. Seeya in a little bit."

After he hung up the phone, Adrian watched Mia rolling contentfully along the bed. She cuddled the blankets and pillows with a giggly smile. Her father leaned back against the dresser behind him, and he did not want to move from that spot. He wanted everything to be okay, to just be able to move on with his daughter, but he couldn't just yet. And then there was the thought of how he'd get Cybil to drive him back to Maria's house, which he still had no answer to.

His attention was soon diverted when his dog came trotting into the room and leapt up into Adrian's arms. Ade smiled slightly, not taking his eyes off his child. "Come on, bud, let's go get you some food."

---

Adrian was relieved to see John's car pull up outside of the house, almost seconds after the distant street lights could be seen faintly illuminating the sky. He had been sitting in wait on the stoop while Cybil was still in her car, and she spent every moment wondering what the point of everything was.

John walked up to Adrian and the black haired man stood to greet him- and in doing so, revealing his battered frame. "Mia's upstairs in my room, don't let the dog bother her, okay?"

John nodded slowly, but he seemed much more attentive on how beat up his friend looked. "Gotcha..." he trailed off, obviously worried. Adrian looked at him impatiently.

"What did I say?"

The tall drummer blinked in surprise. "Uh..." he wavered for a brief moment before he could get the words to come out, "the baby's upstairs in your room, keep the dog away from her."

Ade shrugged. "Good enough." John shook his head slightly. He knew his friend to be on edge after the incident with his brother, but he never saw him in the light he saw him this time. This time he was...

_'Wow... that's one creepy lookin' dude.'_

"Hey.. what happened?" John glanced over his shoulder, at the police car down the road. "You look like death, friend."

Adrian looked past John, but not necessarily looking at the road ahead. His focus seemed to be centered on something intangible. "Nothing happened."

"What's up with the police then, man?" his concerned friend asked in persistence. "I mean, you've gone off the deep end lately. I've been talkin' with the others, they don't even trust being around you anymore."

That one snapped Adrian out of it, by the look of his reaction. "Why not?"

John smirked. "It might have to do with the fact that whenever we see you now it looks like you're gonna kill one of us, but, eh heh..." when he suddenly realized Adrian was not laughing, John stopped the sentence dead in its tracks.

"Come on, man," the drummer said in an attempt to get serious once more, "you can't stay silent forever. What's the matter?"

Adrian shifted his brown eyes to meet John's green ones. John was always a trustworthy figure, no matter what the secret. But was this something he needed to talk about?

"I..."

Unexpectedly enough, as if God himself was eavesdropping on the conversation, a cackle of thunder interrupted Adrian's thoughts. The loud noise was quickly followed upon by a downpour of heavy rain. "You should head inside, John," Ade finished.

John looked at his friend with an unsatisfied, dodgy glance, before he brushed past him and to the front door. "Okay."

The sense of frustration in the man's voice caused Adrian to sigh inaudibly before turning back towards John.

"Hey look..." John looked back over his shoulder. Adrian tried to think of something good to say, but nothing worked. He eventually stammered half-heartedly. "Don't worry about me, everything is going to work itself out real soon."

John could do nothing but nod and flash a lopsided smile, before he disappeared into the home.

---

"Now what?" Cybil set the car into motion, eyeing Adrian in search of a response. However, she did not get one- the man was too busy looking back at his house as it became smaller and smaller the more the car had carried on. And then, there was nothingness.

"Maria's house, right?" Adrian wiped a couple of raindrops from his forehead and nodded. That was all the confirmation Cybil needed to know that she was right. It was just too bad that the foreboding silence only became more and more of a nuisance as time slowly came to pass.

"Did you... find that girl? Back at the hotel?"

Adrian hesitated. For a second, he didn't even know how she meant that question. She could have meant, 'was she behind that door in the bathroom afterall, or did she get away?' Or, it could have meant, 'was that where you first ran into that girl and thought you'd kill her?' Adrian prayed it didn't mean the latter.

"Yeah. Yeah... I took care of it."

Cybil forced herself to smile. "Good." She could say it was good for him, but as good as it was, it didn't hide the fact that he had killed someone. And the fact that she was almost attracted to him, it startled her.

_'I really need to watch who I try to make friends with in the future.'_

But the more she thought about it, the more she came to acknowledge how terrible the man's life had to have been. Living with those religious fanatics for the first years of his life, only to be taken in by a family who also happened to have their own problems with the strange town.

_'Reminds me of Cheryl...'_

Lord knew that his life with Harry as a relative had to have been nothing beyond traumatizing. She could imagine the trouble Harry had stirred up, knowing where his brother and sister adopted Adrian from...

_'..must have torn that family apart limb from limb...'_

..and that reminded her of her own family.

_'..if I were him, I wouldn't want to remember any of this either.'_

Cybil took the entire drive to think about the issue, and she assumed that the person sitting next to her was doing the same exact thing. And he was. Except for him, it was more difficult to piece together.

After Hope House, he could remember a loving mother and father. He had to have been ten, or at least around that age. He could distinctly remember his father's name, David, but his mother's remained a mystery to him. It was weird though, because aside from that, it was all he could remember about his father. All except...

_'..the rosary.'_

His father told him how he'd got the rosary from a peddler during he and his girlfriend's trip to some city in South America or Mexico, he forgot which-

_'-that's right... I remember, they weren't married yet. Yeah, I was at the wedding a year later... I was Adrian Mason back then.'_

David gave it to him so he would feel protected, but it was ironic- that was when the fallout had started.

_'Uncle Harry.'_

He remembered shortly after the wedding, his uncle tried to take him away. He couldn't figure out what the exact reasoning behind it was, but David didn't take too kindly to it...

_'...but she believed him. Yeah... they were blood related. She knew that he wouldn't have been upset without a good reason. That was what drove them both apart. That's why I don't remember her. It's all coming back to me now.. it's starting to actually make some fucking sense.'_

He couldn't manage to think of any more, however- they were at Maria's house.

---

Everything was exactly the same from earlier. No one caught the stench of the corpse that lay in the upstairs bedroom, but the street was quiet before- even during the day- so Adrian doubted that any teenagers or young adults were around to care.

Ade's wet boots squished as they made their way up the large flight of wooden steps on the left side of the front door. Well before he hit the top, the smell of decay hit him. He covered his nose with his shirt, but in truth the dampness of the texture from both rain and grime wasn't all that pleasant to his senses, either.

He walked into the bedroom slowly, respectfully, and blinked rapidly at the sight of the dead woman on the bed. He seemed reluctant to move closer to the body, but he had no choice; he went there for a purpose, and he was going to fulfill that purpose.

Adrian softly grabbed a hold of the spear that impaled the woman he once called his girlfriend, and carefully pulled it out from Maria's blood smeared stomach. Looking her over, Adrian saw nothing else that attached her to the bed. He lifted her up and carried her out of the room, oblivious to the crimson he got all over him.

---

Cybil had been waiting for what had to have been a half an hour, and this wait was even worse than the last one. Not really for the length, however- rather, the location. Why did Adrian want to go to his dead girlfriend's house again? Paying his last respects seemed like the logical answer...

_'...but that shouldn't take thirty minutes.'_

She peered through the passenger side window, watching the house as the rain continued to pour relentlessly. It was the perfect setting for something horrific to take place, and Cybil took note of it.

_'I should check on him.. just to make sure.'_

She got out of the car and wandered toward the front of the house. It looked incredibly intimidating, especially when taking the bad weather into consideration. She turned the doorknob and pushed the front door open a creak, before sticking her head in and calling out. "Adrian?" No answer.

Cybil made her way upstairs, cautious enough to keep from slipping on the water that got in from Adrian's boots along with hers. However, when she got to the bedroom...

"..he took the body..."

It was then that she remembered her accusations- hinting that he killed the woman. She couldn't fully back up her own claim, but it seemed much more plausible now.

_'He couldn't have gone far, you can find him no problem.'_

She glanced around the room, before Cybil took to the windows in the bedroom. The first one she looked out of showed off the side of the house on the right, and an open yard surrounding it. An empty yard.

With growing panic, Cybil checked the other window at the far end of the room, which gave a perfect view of the entire backyard. There, fortunately, Cybil saw Adrian huddled down on the ground, under the large tree towards the end of the yard. "Oh... thank God..."

She rushed downstairs and bolted out the front door into the pouring rain.

_'What is he doing back there? Did he get sick again?'_

She had no time to think about what was going on- she simply followed her instinct and ran down the driveway and closed the gap between her and the kneeling person in the backyard. It almost reminded her of that man behind the house she was sent out in Silent Hill to check... and only found a tombstone afterwards. Hopefully, this event wouldn't end the same way.

Cybil drew her gun, just as a precaution. "Adrian? What are you doing?"

Adrian paid no attention to her at all, as he drove his hands into the soil underneath him once last time, and with that, he finished covering up the hole he created. Two handfulls of Earth were clenched in his fists, dirt trickling from them like sand in an hourglass. His breathing was heavy and ragged, as if he were just in an agonizing defeat. The pain etched on his face could not be told in words- the mere expression he bared was more telling than any spoken description. He had been through hell, and if he were in any better mood at all he'd have wore that fact like a badge. Now, though... it meant nothing. Everyone he could've gloated to was dead. Dead, or dead frightened of him.

"I, I just wanted to bury Maria," he confessed with sorrow through chattered teeth- no anger, or bitterness, just sorrow. "I had to bury her.. I couldn't leave her the way she was."

Feeling a huge rush of relief and stupidity bash her brains in, Cybil let her gun drop to the soft, wet grass at her feet. The thought of him killing Maria, too... it went away. It went away along with every other doubt she ever had in the ill-fated young man. Still, something wasn't right. If he didn't kill her... who did?

Whoever... or whatever it was, made its presence. Right behind Cybil.

"Not like anyone here would give her a decent burial anyway," Ade continued, just as unknowing of the other intruder in the backyard as Cybil was. When he stood up and turned, though, things quickly went black when he felt something big and powerful strike him on the head. His weakened state was no match for the blow as he crumbled like a stone to the wet ground. Cybil laid unconscious next to him.


	28. Pentagram Ending

Chapter 28: Pentagram Ending

Brown eyes opened. Blinked. Scanned the surrounding area.

A horribly lit, derelict subway car, and Adrian was sitting in one of the dirtied, blood caked seats. His head pounded unbearably. His legs were numb. His hands were bound behind his back by a bloody rag. "What the hell is this..." he trailed off, deciding to look around to see for himself. The only sound came from the rickety grinding of the train against the tracks, but it was no match for the smell of the stale oxygen and festering human body parts that wafted throughout the car. And it suffocated him without mercy.

_'Just breathe through your mouth... breathe through-'_

That was when he realized- his mouth was taped shut, forcing him to take in the disgusting stench. Blood dried on the corner of his mouth, presumably from the harsh blow he took that knocked him out. If he was able to, he would've puked right then and there. Things couldn't get worse...

_'..don't think that, things always get worse when I think that.'_

His inner rambling did not save him from the situation indeed getting worse. The train screeched to a stop. Adrian stared as the door at the end of the car slid open. He leaned to the side to look out the window, to try and catch a glimpse of where he was. A sign out on the platform, barely distinguishable by an unsheathed lightbulb, showed him.

'Lyne Street'

Wherever that was, it was nowhere near Adrian's home. If he could bring himself to care, though, he would have stayed seated in the blood soaked subway car. However, Adrian had other plans. He stood up, and walked carefully towards the open door. Ade's steps along the aisle were definitive, slow enough so he kept himself from falling over from the dizzy spell that plagued him. "Almost there," he spoke aloud- wasn't like anyone was around to care that he was talking to himself. Nor was anyone around who would have asked what he was murmuring behind the tape that muffled his speech. He gritted his teeth and forced himself on. Just a few more steps...

...and a towering figure filled the open doorway. Adrian's heart sank.

_'You have to be kidding.'_

There Pyramid Head stood, knife clenched in its hand as tightly as ever as it stepped fully onto the subway car. The doors creaked shut loudly behind it, and the train took into movement once more. "Oh come on!" Ade yelled, but again it came off as little more than a slightly louder than average grunt. Nothing was going his way at all. Whether he deserved that or not, he didn't know, but at that moment all he asked for was to live- and the monster's presence was a definite threat to that request.

Adrian looked around for an exit, but there was none. Unless-

_'-the next car!'_

He turned and made his way for the car door. Put his back to it and tried to get his bound hands to push it open. It did not work. "Come on, open please..." he whined under the concealing tape. He could've thought of something worse to say than that, but feared working himself up at that point- he would've probably done something as traumatic as black out if he got overexcited with the condition he was in. He turned and faced the door, trying to think of some way to get it open, just as Pyramid Head trudged forward.

_'Kick the glass in and go through the opening?'_

Ade immediately dismissed that- he had no strength to put all of his weight on a single foot, and he had no sense of balance what so ever- he was lucky to even be standing on both feet. However, the options were incredibly minimal. His hands had no slack to try and punch through the glass, which made that a useless plan. Whatever Adrian did, though, he needed to think it through and do it in a matter of seconds and he knew it. Pyramid Head knew it, too, it seemed- its slow movements were deliberate, wanting to let the human live fearfully for just another few brief moments...

...and then it heard something it didn't expect to hear, from an action that was done out of complete desperation.

_'God this is going to hurt...'_

Adrian took a deep breath and held it in... brought his head back... and slammed it hard through the window- shattering it enough to take out a large chunk out of the top. Whatever survived had a huge web of cracks in the middle of it, easy enough for Ade to turn and push out with his hands. The blood that tricked down Adrian's face he could deal with, that one wound wasn't going to kill him. The thought that he was going to die to a monster wasn't.

_'No. I don't want to die.' _

That revelation allowed Adrian the mental strength he needed to let himself fall back into the window, leaving his head and arms dangling in the next car- but it also left his kicking feet dangerously close to the monster that approached. He twisted. Writhed. Bled profusely from wounds created via sharp glass. Anything to escape his pursuer. Anything to escape a certain death. And just as the monster's hand was about to grasp an ankle, Adrian's body fell into the next car, where he landed on his back over numerous little shards.

_'Yes!'_

He bought himself time, but it couldn't last long. No more than three, maybe five seconds. If only it was enough to make the next stop, if the train would stop again at all, he could simply evade the monster until then.

It was then that Adrian shifted his head as back as slack would allow, to see an upside down car door staring back at him at the other end of the upside down hall. It could have been no more than fifteen yards away, but to a tired, defenseless man, that was a _hell _of a long way.

Then there was the thought that that door would not work either, and the thought of Adrian having to break glass with his head again did not bode well.

_'Who am I kidding... it's over.'_

He exhaled through his flared nostrils, and looked hopelessly up as the car door was ripped ruthlessly from its hinges. The large, bloody butcher with the pyramid mask soon stood over the defeated human. Tilted its head in confusion, almost as if shocked that he finally gave up.

Adrian lied there, and did not move. Too frightened to, but even if he wasn't, he wouldn't have. Where could he have gone? He simply waited for death to say hello.

And then it did.

Brown eyes opened. Blinked. Scanned the surrounding area.

---

Adrian's mind was taken over by a powerful and domineering headache that refused to assist in battling the darkness everywhere.

_'Where am I now?'_

He tried to cut through the darkness, but it was no use. He tried to stand, but his legs were too weak. After repeated attempts at getting to his feet, Adrian eventually gave up and relaxed on the dirty floor. There wasn't much of a substitute anyway- there was a nearby cot, but it looked way too unsanitary to even go near. Other than that, though, the room was completely empty.

_'Can't lie here all day... wait... why ain't I dead yet?'_

He thought back to the train. He was sure that was it... but if he managed to survive that, there had to have been some other motive for this capture. Either that-

_'-or it was just another dream.'_

He breathed a sigh of relief when he realized that had to be it- he wasn't cut up from the stunts he pulled on the train, there was no way that could have been real. It was all okay... unless of course something worse was going to happen.

_'Oh God.. don't think that, please.'_

He tried to recall those last few moments in the backyard, but it only made his head hurt even more. He had a large knot on the back of his head from the shot he took, which had enough force to demolish a car.

_"Not like anyone here would give her a decent burial anyway-"_

_'-more-'_

_-he stood up and turned around- caught a glimpse of Cybil lying face down in the grass-_

_'-more-'_

_-felt the huge fist bash him over the skull. Felt his knees buckle before he helplessly fell down-_

_'-more....'_

_...saw the pyramid shaped mask staring down at him._

"No..."

That was when he realized where he was. Confined space, no windows, barred door... "I'm in prison. A really, really fucked up prison." He was right. The small cell had no other tangible purpose other than containing the man- the guilty man. And nothing Adrian could say, nothing he could do to reason with whoever- or whatever- put him there would change the fact. He deserved to be locked up for what he had done.

_'Just not _here! _Not in this fucking cell, in this fucking prison! Iwantoutofthistownanywhereanyplacebutthisfuckingtown!'_

For it was obvious where he was. What was outside. The absolute last place he wanted to be.

"What do you want?!" he yelled, and yelled to nothing at all. No one seemed to be around to hear the man's cries, and if there was anyone around, they probably did not care to hear any of Adrian's snivelling. No one would care, except him. His life was legitimately over, whether he survived this final encounter in Silent Hill or not.

And that led to the question... why fight death any longer?

He writhed his hands under his feet and in front of him, which allowed Adrian to push himself to his feet. He stumbled drunkenly toward the barred door, and pressed his body against it in hopes that it would give under his weight- however, it stood its ground. He glanced down at the lock, and there he found out why the door didn't budge.

A huge padlock chained the door shut.

_'There has to be a way out of this room.'_

Adrian looked around, searching the room thoroughly for any alternate means of exit. No other door, except the locked one. But maybe, it would be the only door he needed.

"What's this.." he trailed off as he limped towards the cot in the far corner of the room, noticing a long, narrow object on it. He sat down on the mattress and picked the item up, studying it through the darkness. His eyes subsequently lit up in relief.

_'Don't question it... don't ask why it would be here, just put this baby to good use.'_

Adrian slithered the stainless steel katana from its sheath, staring at its sheer beauty. He was so entranced by such swords that he had to buy one of his own at one point. But now... now he would actually have to use one, and he hoped the few days of learning how to use such a weapon would help. Smiling, Adrian put the tip of the blade to the fabric that restrained his hands. The cloth ripped in half quickly from the sharp steel edge underneath it. Adrian hoped the same would happen to that padlock.

He approached the door once more, and this time was certain that it would open whether it wanted to or not. He took a deep breath, trying to focus... trying to get himself together. He'd have to if he wanted to get the door open.

He held the sword high over his head, and brought it down over the padlock with as much force he could put into the strike. And it was just enough, as it caused the rusted metal to split crudely in half- in essence, letting the chains drop to the floor with it.

"Yes..." Ade muttered in relief as the door then creaked open slightly on its own. He had one obstacle out of his way... but now, Adrian would have to be careful, because things weren't that much safer outside. No way it could have been safer outside. Not with Pyramid Head possibly still around.

Adrian stepped out of his cell in fatigue. He looked to his left- dead end. To his right- a long, endless seeming hallway. And with no doors in sight, Adrian knew what he'd have to do.

"There will be light at the end of the tunnel," he softly promised himself as he staggered forward, the katana gripped so tightly in his hands that he could've turned the handle into ashes. Chances of there being a light to greet him at the end of that dreary hallway were slimmer than one could ever fathom, but it didn't hurt to believe in such a chance; as long as the person believing it had enough of a grip on reality to know that such a chance would probably not happen. It was obvious Ade understood his slim chances of a happy ending- he was walking with a purpose... walking with the knowledge that they would be the last few steps he would ever take.

Those steps, however, stopped in their tracks when Adrian managed to spot something on the floor. A torn piece of paper, which probably would have gone undetected to the untrained eye. Curiosity always killed the cat, and it did in this scenario also as he bent down to pick the paper up.

What was on the paper was scrawled in erratic red text- big enough to make out through the darkness.

_In the years of the primal course_

_In the dawn of terrestrial birth_

_Man mastered the mammoth and horse_

_And Man was the Lord of the Earth_

The page was torn after that. "Okaaay..."

What could very well have been the next part of the paper rested on the ground just a few feet ahead. Adrian slinked forward to read it, even though he wasn't so sure if he wanted to after the creepy first excerpt.

_He made him an hollow skin_

_From the heart of an holy tree_

_He compassed the Earth therein_

_And Man was the Lord of the Sea_

The torn page ended there. Adrian frowned.

_'Should I really be reading Edgar Alan Poe at a time like this?'_

No... it was someone different and he realized it. Adrian could faintly recognize the words from high school English class. No specific name came to mind as to who the poet was, but he was sure he remembered the name of the poem itself.

_'The Pentagram...'_

Another torn scrap of paper lay harmlessly in the near-distance. The first thing Adrian did though was look up and at his surroundings- he was still safe, but the papers almost seemed like a distraction, a ploy to get his attention on something else for a few brief seconds.. long enough to-

_'-for fuck's sake, Ade, stop thinking about the worst.'_

Even given the terrible situation, he couldn't draw his eyes away from the writings at his feet. It was unsettling, yet eerily inviting all the same.

_He controlled the vigour of steam_

_He harnessed the lightning for hire_

_He drove the celestial team_

_And Man was the Lord of the Fire_

And yet again, the page was cut off from an abrupt tear in the material. Adrian stood up, if only for a moment, before he found the next torn piece to go with the rest of the writing- and then, he squatted down to read it as well.

_Deep-mouthed from their thrones deep-seated_

_The choirs of the aeons declare_

_The last of the demons defeated_

_For Man is the Lord of the Air_

The final piece of paper laid farther out, just noticeable through the dank setting. How Adrian could concentrate on the writings in such a stinking place, even he could not come up with an answer. He was sure, though, if he could read the first four verses, he could surely read the last one.

_Arise, O Man in thy strength!_

_The kingdom is thine to inherit_

_'Til the high gods witness at length_

_That Man is the Lord o-_

And there, the page was cut off again. Just like that; the ending of the poem, missing. Having read the poem before, Adrian knew safely that he had the end of it hidden away in his mind somewhere, but whether it was going to come out easily or not was something Adrian didn't have the time to find out. Maybe there was another piece left to be discovered of the shredded lyrics, but there was none. And upon further inspection, the piece he had just read from was nowhere to be seen; vanished, as though it never existed at all.

Even if it didn't exist, though, the poem's end would have to be left unknown, just as Adrian's fate was going to be left unknown to him until he crossed beyond the wooden door in front of him.

He stood there for a minute, as if there were an easier way to escape the prison he found himself trapped in- even though no matter how much he thought, he knew there was no other way out of the hall aside from the door that blocked his immediate path. In the end, there wasn't much to think about.

Adrian detached one hand from his sword and reached out to grab the doorknob with it. It turned easily in his hand, and he pushed the door open slightly, stepping into the gigantic room. It reminded him of that room back at the hotel, except there was no inexplicable lake of fire in the middle. Instead, in the middle of the room was a small stage, well lit by the swinging lightbulb on its canopy. The stage was empty, except for something else that hung from the top of it. Ade leaned forward to get a better look, and then took a couple steps forward in surprise.

"Beautiful." Adrian shook his head in disgust at the noose that swayed back and forth almost tauntingly, beckoning him to put the knotted rope to use. But there was something else, something watching...

"You're the one responsible," Adrian said, knowing of its presence- but he did not turn to look at it. "You killed my brother. You killed Maria..." his voice grew shaky as he trailed off, if only for a split second. "You're going to kill me."

Movement could be sensed from Adrian's far left, and the figure that emerged from the dark confirmed his accusation. Any other time, Adrian would've winced in fear at the sight of the large inhuman with the pyramid shaped mask. But at that moment, all he could manage to do.. was emit a slight, inexplicable laugh.

"Why do you wear that stupid mask?" he questioned, not bothering to stare at the monster straight on. If he did, his calm demeanor probably would have washed away.

What he didn't expect, though, was an answer.

_Perhaps for the same reason that you wear yours._

It wasn't one that spoke aloud, but one that sunk deep into Adrian's mind- and it wasn't an inner voice he ever recalled having. Ade's smile faded from his face, as he focused on the source of the voice. "If you're going to kill me, then do it." He stood in place, without a flinch or a single baby step away from his pursuer. Not even when the figure broke out into a run.

Before Adrian could react, the knife wielding creature was closing in on him, running in huge, stomping strides. It drew its gigantic weapon back as it ran, lifted it up over its head, and slammed it down. Adrian barely dove out of the way, just in time to watch pieces of the tiled floor shoot up at the spot where he had been standing. The sound of the impact was the equivalent of a hunting rifle going off just inches from Adrian's ears- loud and extremely painful. He quickly rose onto his feet, though, wasting no time in gaining a little distance between him and the monster.

_'Just wait... just wait until you can get one good swipe at it.'_

Ade watched the beast yank its blade from the floor it slashed into, and waited impatiently as it turned and calmly walked towards him. It was in no hurry this time- now its main goal was seemingly to intimidate the much weaker human. Adrian swiped his sword in hopes that Pyramid Head would back off, or at least slow down. However, the creature was not impressed and kept walking; the monster's large body was practically centimeters out of the katana's reach. Enough of a short distance for Pyramid Head to waste no time winding up its right hand to fling its knife once more.

Adrian sensed this, and lunged forward in one swift movement, and there he stuck the creature in its chest with the sharp steel. Unfortunately, it did not stop the monster's big wind up. With the katana buried two inches into its chest, it sent its knife crashing down once more, and Adrian once again narrowly escaped being sliced in half.

He shuffled backwards on the ground, moving away from the figure in a crab-like manner before he maneuvered onto his feet. Ade stared in shock at his blade still stuck in the monster's chest, but he was mostly dumbfounded that Pyramid Head didn't even seem to care. It simply remained fixated on the human it was determined to kill, although it didn't seem to be in a hurry anymore. Maybe it was because it felt it had all the time in the world to kill him, but Adrian was trying not to think about that.

Adrian waited, watching Pyramid Head continue to approach, looking for the right time. Pyramid Head wound up and swung horizontally this time, and Adrian ducked at the last possible second, before leaning up and attempting to grab his katana.

The problem, though, his weapon was inexplicably stuck.

And then, all at once, a huge rush of pain surged through Adrian's body. He howled in agony, and shoved himself off of the giant knife, tumbling backwards to the ground in a bloody mess. Pyramid Head didn't seem the slightest bit satisfied with making a mere wound in the human's stomach, and leaned forward to finish the job. It slammed the knife straight down, the blade piercing Ade's chest.

A gout of blood spurted from Adrian's lips as he coughed in undescribable pain. Pyramid Head seemed to be a bit stunned that the human hadn't died yet, when in reality the blade missed his heart by a matter of inches. Unimpressed, Pyramid Head grabbed the handle of its knife and wriggled the knife around in the still living body, obviously taking appreciation in the sound of Adrian gasping in protest of what it was doing. Finally, Adrian decided to do something about it.

He reached up as high as he could, blood dripping down his hands and arms as his fingers flailed for something just out of reach. Pyramid Head leaned down out of inquisition, but it was obviously regretting that decision when Adrian latched both hands around its mask, and yanked on it as hard as he could, prying it off.

_Agh!_

Adrian couldn't see what was under the mask through the blinding darkness, but the creature was obviously upset enough to back off. It pulled its knife out of Ade's chest as its free hand tried to cover its face, only to end up falling to its knees. It dropped its knife, letting it _clank _loudly on the floor, allowing it to bury its face in both hands. Adrian forced himself to sit up, and he watched the figure closely. Then, when he realized it was more interested in concealing its face, Ade boldly stood up and hobbled over to it.

Adrian reached around the figure's back, grabbing his katana again. That time, he was able to force it out of the monster's chest. He then slowly circled the knelt creature, and grabbed cruelly at its gloved hands, forcing them apart to show its face...

...and then, Adrian dropped his katana in amazement.

_'What the... no... how the fuck..?'_

Blonde hair, brown eyes, unblemished pale skin... Adrian knew exactly who the face belonged to. It was the person he'd been looking for all along... it was Sam.

It was himself.

_If you kill me, _the voice said, invading Adrian's mind once more, _you kill yourself. You cannot live without me as I cannot live without you.... you _are _me._

And it was then that Adrian remembered the end of that poem. It was what the Sam before him was. _'His Spirit...'_

Adrian stared in disbelief, even though it made sense. He just couldn't accept the conditions of killing the man before him. Adrian wouldn't be able to kill him, not without taking his own life. He picked up the katana anyway, however, trying to think.

_If you kill me, you kill yourself, _the voice stated again. Adrian looked into his own brown eyes, and let his gaze linger. He made his decision.

_Tu fui, ego eris..._

The katana was raised high into the air, before it sliced into the smooth skin. A geyser of blood painted Adrian and the rest of the area red, and Sam's headless body fell limp to the ground, his brown eyes staring into nothingness.

Adrian spat out a wad of red saliva as he stood there, feeling weaker and weaker by the second- no thanks to the blood that seeped through the wounds in his torso. He looked at the corpse at his feet, and sighed. Whatever those last words of Sam's meant, he didn't care. It was all over. He would die, and die knowing that he got the vengeance he had been looking for.

"It's what you deserved. I'm not like you... I'm not... you deserved this, but I.. I... heh, I'm still breathing.. I'm still..." he trailed off, unable to finish his sentence. Adrian turned and fell forward onto the ground, katana dropped just next to him.

His eyes blinked, but didn't open again. Adrian did not want to die in a lifeless stare, and he wouldn't. Adrian Mason went to sleep and in turn, he would never wake up again.


	29. Worse Ending

Chapter 29: Worse Ending

The next time Cybil Bennet woke up, she was in a bright white room.

_'Am I in... heaven?'_

She couldn't sit up, her head pounding too much and her legs too weak. The moments before being knocked out came and went without warning. And after that, there was nothing. That much made her debate further if she was really alive or not.

The only movement she could get out of her body was from turning her head slightly to the right and to the left. From that, there wasn't much to make out. All there was was the blinding, orderly whiteness around her. To think... she hoped that when she died that she would have done enough good in her life to have her soul sent to Heaven... but if this was Heaven, it sure didn't feel like it to her.

_'Don't let me be dead,' _she prayed, _'I can't be dead with everything unfinished like this.'_

Cybil continued to try and move as much as her body disobeyed. She felt herself force her limbs to cooperate, but they felt like they were pinned to the uncomfortable bed she lay on. When she could get herself to lean back on her elbows, Cybil was finally allowed to look around the room more thoroughly. A small stack of magazines on a harmless blue hued shelf, a pearly white door with a small looking glass in it, a tray holding vomit inducing half-eaten food...

Cybil sighed in great relief. The discovery allowed her enough mental strength to get herself to sit up completely, just as the white door swung open and someone walked in. Cybil knew who it was, but was surprised to see him.

"Captain?"

The man was in his early forties, his thinning black hair slicked back with an overabundance of gel. His green eyes blinked as his muscular arms were folded across his heaving chest. It seemed like the buttons and badges on his police uniform would pop off any second.

"Officer Bennet..." the man reached up and rubbed his bearded chin, checking on the woman with a slight ounce of concern. "You seem shocked to see me."

"Well you're not really known to go out of your way and make hospital visits," Cybil confessed. "Do you have a card tree for me, too?"

The man rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Christ, Cybil, calm down for once. You have a hell of a knot on your head, too, you should lie back and rest."

"I've rested long enough, captain, thank you."

"Call me Trent, okay? Enough of this sophisticated cop to cop bullshit. Clear?"

Cybil nodded. "Crystal clear."

"Good." Trent Haliberg was the stereotypical 'shoot first ask questions later' type of officer, and it was something Cybil never had been able to grow used to. Sure, majority of officers on the Brahms squad were like that, but at least they knew when to go with their gut and when to hang back. Trent seemed to be one who could never control his trigger finger, let alone whatever came out of his mouth. Now, however, it seemed he was a bit different. A bit more collected...

"Now, Cyb," Trent started, "I gotta wonder this. No one's been complaining about that little town for years, after you went there with that what's his name... Harry. So I get word from your partner that you were back there again when I keep telling you that place is off limits, not just for citizens but cops like you as well. And with the place being so dangerous, I need to know this. Considering that there have been a couple disappearances lately, and a murder victim that _you _had been seen with pops up on Bachman Road for one of our guys to see, what the fuck are you doing out there exactly?"

Cybil flinched. She wasn't ready for an immediate interrogation after she had just woke up from the worst blindside shot she had ever taken. And she had took a lot of those in her time.

"With all due respect, Trent, what I'm doing down there is my job."

"Oh really?" he said, arms falling to his sides as his right foot tapped on the ground impatiently.

"Yes, well, with so many kids trying to head off for a night of partying by themselves, it's a hot spot for disaster..." she trailed off, and that was when one of Trent's sentences caught her.

"Wait... what murder victim?"

"Some kid. Twenty years old perhaps, head was lopped off and left in a duffel bag next to his body. Guy's got two stab wounds in the chest and his legs are all bruised up. Prolly some sick fuckin' terrorist copycat. Wouldn't surprise me with all the crazy bastards in this country. Can't trust anybody anymore, shit I'd lock myself up and throw away the key, I'm that paranoid."

Cybil was speechless. She was trying to fight away any look of sadness she had on her face, but a tear managed to roll down her cheek anyway. She had almost choked on her sobs, but was finally able to speak after her momentary waver wracked in an emotional mess. "Trust is a hard thing to come by these days, sir."

It wasn't nearly what she wanted to say but it would have to do. She feared losing a grip on her mentality in front of her superior, but then again, at this point, what did it matter?

"Something wrong, Cyb?" Trent asked. Cybil couldn't bring herself to answer right away, trying to look at something else other than the captain's fixated stare. "Cybil. What is it?"

After mustering up all the strength she could, Cybil forced the words from her lungs. "Permission to speak freely, sir."

"Go the hell ahead," Haliberg said with a shake of his head, "like we're not having a normal conversation already, what's the deal?"

"I don't think I can work under your command anymore, captain."

Trent eyed Cybil with worry. She was in command even longer than he was, and even though he rarely showed concern, the thought of Cybil not being around at the precinct didn't make sense. However, she seemed so shaken up that he couldn't bring himself to try and alter her decision. If something caused her to want to leave the police force, it must have been something terrible.

"Okay," he mumbled finally, "okay."

Cybil took a deep breath and looked around some more. "How did I get here? How long was I out for?"

"Doctor said you were here overnight. Said someone saw you knocked out in the backyard of someone's house and called for an ambulance." Cybil nodded. It was all too much for her to bear, and after all that, there was nothing else to do. Nothing else other than to just let it go.

---

Cybil's red, paint-chipped Saturn slowed to a stop outside of Adrian Mason's house. She had just dropped off her badge, uniform and weapon off at the precinct and had no real reason to go anywhere else but home. In a fresh batch of clothes, she felt human again- not like a robotic cop not meant to show signs of remorse, and with that, there wasn't much else to do but go home. However, she couldn't bring herself to do that- not without checking the house one more time. Maybe Trent was wrong... maybe Ade would be sitting outside with his dog, right as rain. Cybil knew better, though... her superior was never wrong about anything like this, and now was no exception.

The house seemed to be empty, although it probably wouldn't be for long; not when officers caught wind of it once being the home of a headless murder victim. And whenever that was, the yellow tape and wooden boards would be soon to follow.

"Nice house..." she moused out softly as her eyes blinked fervently to help shade the headache she was plagued with.

_'Nice guy, too... how could he have done something like that?'_

She glanced at the steering wheel, then back at the house, then back at the steering wheel...

_'...I should just go, before I feel even worse.'_

Cybil was ready to do just that, but something compelled her to look at the house one more time. And when she did, someone stepped out the front door.

"Hm?" It wasn't Adrian, but his friend from last night that dropped by there. "Must have been stuck there all night, having to take care of the baby and the dog..." speaking of the dog, Howler was curled up in the man's arms, seemingly comfortable enough as he walked down the first couple of front steps before he took a seat.

_'God, how's he going to react when he finds out his friend...' _the thought forced Cybil out of her car, to walk up to the clueless friend sitting on the stoop.

"Hi," Cybil greeted plainly.

John narrowed his eyes in bewilderment, obviously a bit taken back since he had no clue who this person was. "Um, hello," he responded reclusively, "do I know you?"

"Ah no," Cybil stammered, "I uh... I was.. friends with Adrian. My name's Cybil Bennet, I'm a.. well, was a police officer. From the branch over in Brahms." She reached out to shake John's hand and he accepted, Howler leaning forward and obtrusively sniffing Cybil's hand and forearm. The blonde woman smiled and stepped back, brushing her bangs away from her eyes as she attempted to continue her statement. However, she could think of nothing else to say.

"Hm, were you the officer drivin' that car Ade got into last night?"

It was Cybil's turn to throw a shady look, a bit stunned by the man's observative nature. "Yes. Yes, that was me alright."

John nodded in compliance. "I see. So, what was that about? I mean, I assume you're here about him... what, is he in jail or something?" Cybil was right, he really didn't have a clue.

"No, no, nothing like that... I, erm..." her sentence trailed to a stop. A long, looming silence passed on soon after, and John had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. Something told him that he knew what she was going to say.

"He's dead, isn't he?" Cybil recoiled from the question, as if she had been shot in the heart. Yeah, he was _very _observative.

Still, Cybil couldn't answer with a word. No word could have brought out the grief she felt over having to send such terrible news to someone, someone she didn't even know for that matter. No sorries, no words of sympathy, nothing she could say would make things any better. John knew that already simply by the expression on her face, so why should she bother to make her answer any more blatant?

John seemed shocked by the news none the less. He didn't cry, or anything that severe, but he looked shaken never the less. "Ade was, a bit intense. After he found out his brother died an' all I guess I couldn't blame him, but.. you could tell something was wrong. He just seemed to have so much more on his mind but never wanted to expose on anyone else. I dunno if that was because he was afraid or just felt it wasn't anyone else's problem, but..." John looked down at his former friend's dog, and frowned, "but anyway what happened? Did he kill himself, or-"

"Murdered," Cybil cut him off. "I know it doesn't mean much from me but.. I'm sorry. God... I'm so sorry."

John looked up at Cybil and shook his head, giving her a half shrug. "Why?"

Cybil rubbed at one of her eyes, in effort to keep tears from revealing themselves once again. She wasn't close to it yet, but she just wanted to make sure she remained that way. "Because I.. I could have helped him."

Another one of those long and uncomfortable silences. Finally, John stood up and made his way down the rest of the steps, dog still cradled with care in his arms. "I'm going to take the dog with me... and figure out how to let my 'rents keep it in the house." He brushed by Cybil smoothly and made his way towards his car down the block. He didn't get far when Cybil was able to turn and get his attention once more.

"Hey..."

John turned around. "Yeh?"

"What about the baby?" Cybil asked.

And that was when John said something that, to put it bluntly, perplexed the shit out of her.

"What baby?"

Cybil's eyes widened. _'What is _that_ supposed to mean?'_

"Um," she stuttered, completely caught off balance by John's reaction to her question, "Adrian's baby? Where is she?"

John gave a small, faint smile. "He tricked you, too? He told me to watch his kid but there wasn't one. And if there was, I definitely didn't pick up on where it was." Before Cybil could further ask, John was already at his car.

_'And he probably doesn't want to hear anymore from me, either.'_

She tried to think about it. She was sure Adrian brought the baby into the house with him...

_'I saw Mia, too... that couldn't have been a...' _before she could finish her thought, that crippling headache swooped back with a vengeance. Cybil crashed to her knees, clutching the sides of her head in a great deal of pain. But then, along with that came an even worse pain originating from her right arm- as if a needle pierced through her skin.

"Gah..." she struggled to her feet and looked at the house in front of her. The door was wide open, almost inviting Cybil to head inside and have a look around. Cybil stumbled up the front steps and into the home, slamming the door shut behind her.

"Upstairs..." she gripped the railing nearby and guided herself carefully up to the second floor. Adrian's bedroom was to her immediate right as she noticed by the rock posters scattered inside, visible through the open doorway. Cybil felt like falling over, but managed to grasp the sides of the bedroom entrance to keep herself vertical. She glanced around the room, eyes peeled for anything that moved, crawled, inched. The soft cloth that had been keeping the child warm was strewn along the large bed, but no newborn in sight.

"Can't be..." she turned and looked around the room some more, saw the dresser drawer on her right. Saw empty syringes and perscription bottles laying there unabashedly.

"Oh... oh, Adrian... Adrian what did you do..." Cybil looked at the label on one of the syringes.

10cc White Claudia

To be taken every eight to twelve hours.

Below that was Adrian's signature. Cybil looked at the next syringe- same thing. The labeling on the perscription bottle had more or less the same thing written on it.

_'But I saw her,' _those tears Cybil didn't want showing up had strolled down her face effortlessly at that moment, _'how did I see her and he didn't?'_

Another sharp pain in her arm caused Cybil to wince. She rolled up the sleeve to her navy blue sweater, and stared at the mark there in disbelief. A small dot, a dot that represented tainted flesh, and was a dot small enough to only come from...

_Cybil looked down after the broken vase, almost forgetting what she had clenched in her trembling fist. Unballing her right hand, she shuddered at the sight. Two locks of hair, one blonde, the other black. Before she could so much as drop the hair to the ground, something smashed against the back of her head and sent her stomach first against the desk, and had eventually caused her to crumble backwards to the floor._

_Raven stood over Cybil's prone body, watching the unconscious officer carefully. She wouldn't pose a threat, not after she was through with her._

_With a smirk, Raven hefted Cybil over her shoulder and carried her to a room where she knew her and Cybil would be able to conversate quietly to themselves, without any intrusion by the man whom without his actions, neither of them would be in this position in the first place. _

_Once she got situated, Raven placed the cop in the chair she preemptively set up, and immediately bound her wrists, ankles and trunk with torn cloth. This would keep her from fighting what she was about to do, in the event Cybil woke up before, or in the middle of it. Raven took a syringe fully loaded with a puss white fluid, and brought the tip of it to the motionless woman's arm. Raven let a finger quickly trace the soft skin, almost entranced by how pure the woman's flesh was, but she could not be distracted by such a trivial thing._

_Raven dabbed the needle slightly, and after becoming sated with the droplet of liquid that trickled freely, Raven delicately slid the steel tip into the enticingly beautiful skin. But it wouldn't be beautiful for long. Beautiful on the outside still, surely, but on the inside it would carry a poison not deadly, but something ultimately much more sinister. Something that brought out the worst in the human emotion. _

_It always did that- it was always what the liquid was meant to do. Maybe a few hallucinations would toy with her mind, but that would be nothing compared to what else it would bring out. Hatred. Guilt. Grief. Every sorrowful word in the book. Things she will never forget, and never be able to take for granted again._

Cybil grabbed one of the syringes harshly, and with a shrill scream she flung it into a nearby wall. Glass shattered and flew liberally about the room. There was no room to hide her sadness anymore, and no more reason for it. For the first time in a long time, Cybil let her cries be heard without any fear of them. She had no one to explain her emotions to- she rid herself of the burden of the police, and no longer had a friend to share her troubles with. No wonder she couldn't bring herself to marry anyone. _'Ruin two lives with one person's own demons... can't do that.'_

How she managed to walk outside once more, Cybil herself couldn't even explain. She would have had to do it anyway, though, she had to live life no matter how hard it was.

Cybil eased herself down the first front step, gripping the side railing for support. She stepped down another stair. And another. When she reached the bottom, a startled gasp snapped her out of her laments. "Ah, excuse me!"

She looked up slowly, and glanced at the young woman in front of her. She was around eighteen, at least no older than Adrian was- and looked a surprising bit like him. Blonde hair, hazel eyes, except she seemed to have an equally miserable look on her face as Cybil did.

"No worries," Cybil muttered softly in a weak attempt to be friendly. That was when she noticed the girl's features even more. She had numerous bruises on her face, cuts on her arms... she looked like she'd been through a war. She had a bookbag slung over one shoulder and a crumpled, torn piece of white lined paper clutched in her hands. "Are you okay?" the ex-cop asked. Even feeling like shit, she couldn't help but want to assist anyone else feeling bad. Afterall, she knew how terrible it was to feel terrible.

"Umm," the girl stammered, not seeming like the one who wanted to engage in conversation. She glanced at one of the cuts on her arms, and it was then that she wasn't going to get away with saying 'I'm fine'.

"Er, do you know if Adrian Mason lives in that house?" she finally questioned nervously, biting her bottom lip in anxiousness.

Cybil turned, and looked at the home she had just wandered out of. She pointed to it. "This one here?"

The girl nodded. "Yeah."

"No... no one lives there. I'm sorry."

The girl obviously looked even further dejected at Cybil's answer. "It's alright. I was just hoping I could find him, that's all..."

"I'll ask around for him.." Cybil mumbled in indifference, not knowing what else to say. She was way too shaken to break the truth to the woman.

"Thanks," the girl answered subtly. She was on her way past Cybil when Cybil asked one more question.

"If I find him, who should I say was looking for him?"

The girl turned her head slightly, but not enough to make full eye contact with the adult. "Heather. I'm his cousin." And with that, the woman named Heather walked on.

_"It looked like a man through the fog, but I just had one of those instincts that somethin'... somethin' wasn't right about him. And now I'm not so sure if it's a blessing that I didn't get to see him or not. Sort of took my mind off of it though when I met someone who was in the same trouble as I was." _

_Adrian then began to lean back, slowly growing more and more intrigued with the story and caring less and less about how frightening it would be. "Who was it?" _

_"This man... he was looking for her daughter, he said. Managed to find her, but she couldn't be helped when we got there. Gave birth to a little girl, though... almost as if her life would start over with that baby, really. And it's sad... I read a police report from a man who was helping his daughter on another Silent Hill case that said he died recently. Name was one I wouldn't forget.. Harry. Harry Mason."_

"No... no more, please..." Cybil nearly choked on her own sobs. Resting her head on the steering wheel of her car, her eyes snapped shut from the sting of their tears. Cybil Bennet accepted her misfortunes and grievances all at once. And now she would have to live with them. Probably not exactly what she deserved, but then again, life isn't always fair.


End file.
